Always and Forever
by Vivian Verbose
Summary: A turn of events turns a routine mission into a fight for her life. And the life of her loved one. Hinata finally has her chance to show Naruto that she's everything that he's been looking for... Will she have to courage to take the risk? NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

Thanks for reading,

Enjoy!

Humbly yours,

--K

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Obviously.

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Hinata sighed. She was dead tired. Team 8's last mission was a success, but at a cost. Shino, Kiba, and she were all on the verge of chakra exhaustion. Kiba had a long gash across his cheek, and she had ice shards stuck into the palms of both hands. Shino, of course, had escaped the fight virtually unscathed, minus near chakra exhaustion.

She shook her head. That last mission wasn't a C-rank; it was at least a B-rank. When Tsunade-sama had assembled Team 8 to flush out some bandits from the Wave Country, Hinata had assumed that they were ordinary thieves.

Tsunade had guessed that a team of three gennin would have been enough for the mission. Tsunade hadn't guessed that the thieves were really missing-nin.

Missing-nin deserted their villages, usually turning criminal and using their jutsus to rain havoc on the surrounding countryside. A mission concerning missing-nin was considered B-rank for two squads of highly trained Chuunin – at least.

Hinata grimaced, remembering the fight that had followed when her team had caught up with the bandits –and her surprise to see forehead protectors bearing the Mist Village insignia.

Luckily, the missing-nin from Mist had been only lower Chuunin level. The fight had been one-on-one; Kiba with Akamaru and Shino had each defeated their opponents after short, but intense struggles.

Hinata had taken slightly longer. Her enemy had excelled at long-ranged attacks, always beating her back with his ice jutsus before she could get close enough to strike him with her Jyuuken. He was always just out of reach, taunting her almost, and exhausting her chakra.

"Ice Shard Explosion!" the ex-Mist ninja had yelled, forming a complex string of seals. A wall of ice had grown between Hinata and her opponent, sprouting jagged icicles. One more seal from her foe had shot the serrated spikes of ice directly at her. Hinata had fended off most of the ice shards with a kunai, but after one of the shards slipped past her guard and into her hand, she accidentally dropped her only weapon leaving her exposed with only her naked hands to fend off the rest. Luckily for her, the jutsu had nearly ended, and only short shards of ice had entered her palms.

"Hinata!" She heard Kiba and Shino yell, rushing to her defense, but she held up a bloody hand.

"No," she had told them. She had grit her teeth and pulled the longest shard of ice out of her palm. It was infused with her opponent's chakra and refused to melt. "I-I need to do this myself."

She needed to prove to herself that she had improved since Naruto-kun had left. She had looked up at her attacker, her eyes flashing with new fire. Naruto-kun. He wouldn't have given up. So neither would she.

Her teammates had nodded and backed off, but had still been ready to rush in and defend her should she fail. Hinata had no intention of failing.

Naruto-kun, Hinata had thought, If I do not win this battle, then I am not worth your attention or love.

That had put the battle in a new light. With her opponent throwing curses and threats and taunts at her, Hinata had come up with a plan – a tribute, almost, to Naruto.

"Bunshin no Jutsu." Hinata and three of her clones melded together to confuse the missing-nin. He sneered.

"When I heard that you were a Hyuuga, I was expecting a better challenge. You're such a disappointment," he said, shaking his head.

Hinata and her three bunshin clones formed a seal. "Byakugan!"

The veins on the sides of her forehead stuck out, and her vision suddenly improved a thousand fold. Three Hinatas ran forward towards the missing-nin, throwing a spattering of kunai. The ninja responded by performing another ice shard jutsu. The two nearest Hinatas froze in fear as ice shards impaled them, and then disappeared in twin plumes of gray smoke.

A lone Hinata faced the missing-nin.

"Did you really think that your stupid tricks could beat me?" he scoffed at her.

"Hinata!" Kiba stepped forward, ready to protect her, but Shino put a hand in front of his teammate to stop him.

"She needs to do this alone."

"Then she'll die alone!" the enemy shouted in his glee, forming another set of seals. "Ice Shard Explosion!"

This time, the shards pierced more than Hinata's hands. Kiba watched in horror as a great spear of ice ran through her chest and passed through to the other side. Hinata was thrown backwards from the impact, her eyes frozen wide.

"Hinata!" Kiba yelled, running towards his fallen teammate with Akamaru on his heels. The missing-nin laughed triumphantly.

Suddenly Hinata disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kiba stepped back."Another bunshin?"

"Jyuuken!" Hinata suddenly leapt from behind her opponent and slammed her open palm into his back. The ex-Mist ninja pitched forward, coughing blood. He collapsed on the ground, blood pooling from his open mouth.

Kiba and Akamaru ran forward, Shino following closely behind. Hinata rested her hands on her knees. She had done it! She had proved, not only to her teammates, but to herself also, that she was capable and was not a burden.

"Hinata, how? I thought you were a goner for sure!" Kiba smiled, and Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"All three out front were bunshin," explained a more reserved Shino. Hinata nodded.

"I-I snuck around back."

Kiba smiled broadly, "Good for you, Hinata!"

Hinata smiled shyly in return. She had proven herself to them and to herself. She had proven herself worthy of Naruto-kun's love.

"Let's start heading back home then," Shino had turned, and began to walk away. Kiba and Akamaru had followed. Hinata had come last, pulling a shard of ice out of her palm.

Remembering the battle, Hinata smiled. She had proven that she wasn't worthless in battle. Her intense training sessions with Neji-nii-san were beginning to pay off. She was no longer the helpless damsel-in-distress that she had been when Naruto-kun had left.

Naruto-kun, she thought as she leapt off another branch and followed Shino and Kiba through the woods. What would he have made of the C-rank mission that was truly a B-rank?

She smiled. He probably would have complained for a bit, then tackled his opponents head on. She could almost hear his, "What was Tsunade Obaa-chan thinking?" or his "I won't forgive you for this!" that spelled disaster for his enemies. Her cheeks tinged slightly.

Actually, something this exciting – or dangerous – hadn't happened since Naruto-kun had left to train with the legendary San-Nin, Jiraiya-sama. Hinata sighed. She missed the loud shinobi as much as air. Or, she thought with a grimace at her splinter-afflicted palms, a pair of good tweezers and a medic-nin.

She sighed. She didn't know how she had stood almost a year and a half without seeing him even once. How much longer would she have to wait before she got to see him again?

Patience, she told herself. You've lasted this long. You can wait a little more.

"Oi, Shino, how much longer until we stop? I'm dead tired," Kiba shouted, leaping across to another branch. Hinata stumbled, her train of thought broken.

Shino paused, and glanced at Hinata and Kiba. Akamaru barked an agreement from his stance beside Kiba. Akamaru almost reached Kiba's waist, no longer small enough to fit inside his master's sweater.

"Hinata, are there any towns nearby?" Shino asked.

Hinata formed a seal with her hands. "Byakugan!" She paused, searching. Kiba shifted his weight from one foot to another. She nodded. "There's a small town in that direction," she said, pointing. "It has a bath house too."

"Alright, let's go!" Kiba shouted gleefully, and with renewed energy bounded away through the trees. Shino and Hinata followed.

"Stop," Shino held up a hand, and Kiba and Hinata instantly froze. Shino usually had an uncanny sense of danger – mostly because he had a dozen of his Destruction Bugs fanned out, scouting in all directions. Now he carried one on his fingertip, and he seemed to be communicating with it. He nodded to it and let it fly away.

"There seems to be a battle up ahead. Lots of chakra. It doesn't seem good, considering the state that we're in. We're going to head around."

Kiba and Hinata nodded. They agreed with Shino. Neither was up for a battle, especially one with unknown opponents.

Kiba and Akamaru followed Shino as he veered to the right. Hinata leapt off her branch to follow them. Shino formed a wide circle around the unknown ninjas' battleground, following his insects' directions.

Suddenly Hinata stopped, frozen on a branch. A breeze blew from her left, carrying voices. One of the voices sounded oddly familiar. No, she thought, shaking her head. It couldn't be. You're imagining things.

She looked up, ready to continue, but she noticed that Kiba and Shino had stopped as well. Akamaru looked up at his master and yipped something. Kiba frowned.

"What's wrong?" Shino crouched on his branch and turned towards the rest of the group.

"Akamaru, don't be silly," Kiba replied to his dog. He looked up, cautiously smelling the breeze blowing from the direction of the battlegrounds. He frowned again. "I guess you're right, Akamaru."

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata leapt from her branch to stand next to her teammate.

"Akamaru says that he remembers that scent. We know one of the people who's fighting over there," he said, pointing. Shino joined the rest of his team.

"Who?" Shino angled his head slightly towards the battlegrounds. Kiba shook his head.

"I never forget a scent. But I can't place this one. It's weird. It's someone I remember, but it's mixed with something else – something more wild."

"Hinata," Shino ordered. She nodded and formed the seal with her hands.

"Byakugan!"

Her world instantly melted away into the familiar layers of Byakugan. By concentrating her chakra, she focused her Byakugan towards the avoided battlefield. She could make out seven figures. Five were lying on the ground. Four were dead – she could tell by their empty chakra systems. The fifth lived – but not for long because the person's chakra was slowly dwindling away. The two left over leapt towards each other – engaging in combat, she assumed. One person's chakra was deteriorating – probably from using a constant jutsu. But the last one…

His chakra system was out of control. Wildly high amounts of chakra leapt like flames around his body. But instead of normal blue streaks of chakra –

Hinata gasped, ending the Byakugan. Could it be?

Shino and Kiba's worried faces and questions faded from her sight. She could only picture one person. His chakra signature was unforgettable. Wild fire-like flames danced through his system. She would recognize his chakra anywhere. The chakra of a certain loud, blonde, ramen-loving ninja.

"Naruto-kun," she whispered, shaking her thoughts away. She stood slightly straighter. It was Naruto-kun fighting another enemy. Finally reengaged with reality, she noticed her teammates standing beside her on a broad branch. Shino and Kiba had been bombarding her with questions, but in her troubled reverie she hadn't noticed.

Kiba put a hand on her shoulder. "Hinata, what happened? What did you – "

"I-It's N-Naruto-kun. H-He's in trouble," she said, interrupting Kiba. Her nervous stutter surfaced for the first time in over a year. She shook her head to gather her wits. "We need to go help him." She turned to Shino, the mission's captain.

Shino raised an eyebrow at her, as if questioning her real motives. Shino had always noticed her crush on Naruto-kun – same as Neji-nii-san. Kiba hadn't seen it at all. But he desperately wanted to show Naruto his new moves, matching his "rival"'s competitive spirit.

"Shino! What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Shino looked over at the trees baring them from the battle, then back at Kiba's excited expression and Hinata's slightly flushed one. "No."

Hinata's heart fell. Her whispered, "Shino, why not?" was overpowered by Kiba and Akamaru's protesting shouts.

"But I need to show him how great I've gotten! I have this new move and Akamaru's gotten so much bigger and – "

"I'm not going to jeopardize this team's safety for the sake of someone that we aren't even sure is Naruto," Shino said coldly, turning back towards their original path to the village. Kiba and Akamaru whimpered a bit, then followed Shino.

Hinata felt as if she were frozen. Something that she had not told the others was that Naruto's chakra was out of control. The red flames had licked their way through his body, infusing it with more chakra, but also overpowering his own. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. She couldn't leave Naruto-kun to face it on his own.

"Oi, Hinata? Are you coming?" Kiba shouted at her. He wiped the blood off his cheek. She had forgotten about his wound. But Naruto-kun needed her help. They could just go on without her.

Hinata clenched her hand into a fist, the ice shards digging themselves deeper into her skin. She felt a trickle of blood roll down her palm. She turned her back to them.

"No."

Hinata could feel Shino's hard stare burning itself into her back. She was always the first one to follow his orders. She had never defied him before. She had never deserted her team before.

She could almost hear Shino telling her. Naruto is only a hindrance to you. She gripped her fist tighter. He's not a hindrance. He… he's… Her thoughts swirled and spiraled around her head. But her decision was firm. She had to help Naruto-kun.

"Go on to the village. I'm going to help Naruto-kun. I'm sorry Shino. Kiba. Akamaru."

Hinata leapt off her branch towards the battle.

"Damn it," Kiba muttered, his gazing sweeping from Shino to Hinata's diminishing figure in the distance. Akamaru barked. Kiba nodded.

"Don't, Kiba. Hinata's made an individualistic move. She's only a danger to the team now. If we follow her, then the entire team will be endangered," Shino's hard voice matched the cold gleam off of his glasses. "I'm only thinking of what's best for the team."

"Well, there goes one fourth of your team Shino. She might die out there. What are you going to tell Tsunade-sama? That you just let her go? Hinata - who's never resisted anything that you've said, who's like our team's glue, who we can't track or scout or do our job properly without.? You're going to tell Tsunade-sama that you just let Hinata go, just like that, because you're too afraid of endangering the rest of us?" Kiba growled. Shino dipped his gaze for a moment, then stood up straight. Kiba looked away.

With a growl, Kiba launched himself off the branch to follow Hinata. Akamaru bounded after him. Kiba called back to Shino over his shoulder.

"You're not only guilty of letting Hinata run off to her death without backup," he said, his voice fading. "You're also guilty of being a coward."

Shino looked after his teammates. Was Kiba right? Was he really being a coward? Wasn't he really thinking about the safety of the group? Didn't he really care about bringing his entire team home, safe and alive?

Shino followed after his teammates, his insects buzzing around him. He was just following protocol. But, insisted the tiniest part of his mind, maybe you are a coward. Was death more painful than living - knowing that you could've saved your friends, but you didn't?


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks all! Reviews actually make me feel a lot better about posting this thing :P

Humbly yours,

--K

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It's pretty awful. I don't even own my own behind. My SAT tutor owns that xD

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Hinata pushed back her exhaustion as she ran, no longer leaping through the trees. She had to reach Naruto-kun before that strange red chakra took over him completely. She didn't use her Byakugan. She needed to reserve her chakra for the fight.

Suddenly she burst into a clearing. Around the periphery of the clearing lay four dead ninja. Another unconscious shinobi with spiky white hair lay partially inside the battlefield. To her right stood a silver-haired shinobi with glasses. She could see several tears in his white and purple clothing. On his forehead –

Hinata gasped. A forehead protector with a single music note gleamed dangerously in the dappled sunlight. The Hidden Village of Sound. Orochimaru.

And to her left –

"Naruto-kun!" she started to yell, but her voice dwindled down to a whimper. He wasn't the same Naruto-kun she knew. All around him, a fiery wall of red chakra sparked and flickered, almost like an aura. His eyes, instead of the familiar sky-blue, were dilated in an orb of vivid, blazing orange. His pupils were slitted and wild, not pure and calming.

As he turned towards her, she flinched. But as he looked at her, the aura of red seemed to recede, and for a moment, his eyes were no longer orange, but blue.

"Hinata?"

"I will not let you interfere," the Sound shinobi yelled, throwing several kunai at Hinata. Hinata felt frozen. She had heard his voice before… but where? She watched as six kunai whirled her way. She flinched against their impact.

Suddenly, she was knocked off her feet, and an intense aura emanated above her. Hinata looked up. Naruto blocked all six with his own kunai, moving faster than Hinata could follow without her Byakugan.

"Hinata, what are you doing here?" Naruto grunted, ducking under another kunai. Hinata quickly got to her feet. She wouldn't be a burden any longer.

"I-I…" she shook her head to stop the usual deep red flush from working its way up her neck and across her cheeks. "I'm here to help."

The unnatural orange eyes replaced his blue ones. Naruto frowned and snarled, "Go away, it's too dangerous for you."

Hinata shook her head no. "I-I will help you, Naruto-kun. I'm not so helpless anymore."

Naruto had no time to respond. The Sound shinobi ran at the two, throwing enough shuriken and kunai to darken the air around him.

Hinata pushed Naruto out of the way and ran forward, drawing her own kunai in both hands. Clinkclinkclinkclinkclink. Hinata blocked all the Sound ninja's projectiles, and formed a seal with her hands. Twenty yards, she mentally calculated.

"Byakugan!" Her opponent's chakra system appeared. Diminishing, but still strong enough to put up a good fight. He was forming a glowing, blue chakra on his hands. Hinata felt her stomach drop. She had felt his chakra somewhere before.

Ten yards. This Sound shinobi had been the one to heal her after Neji-nii-san… It couldn't be, she thought, shaking her thoughts loose. She crouched down, lowering her center of gravity. Five yards.

She had seen his type of attack before. Only it wasn't on the battlefield – it was in the Konoha hospital. Tsunade-sama had used this formation of chakra for medical uses, often using it as a scalpel during operations. So he was a medic-nin? Two yards.

"Hinata! No!" In the back of her mind, she could hear Naruto-kun running to her defense, but she blocked that out for now. She had something to prove to Naruto-kun.

She ducked under both her enemy's hands, but the blue chakra grazed her long, black hair. She felt a lock waft down to the ground.

She kicked out at her enemy's legs, but he jumped up. She grinned. Perfect.

With her other leg firmly tucked under her, Hinata lashed out upwards, planting her foot firmly in the center of the Sound nin's chest. Momentum carried his body up, and through his glasses, his eyes held immense surprise.

"Jyuuken!" Hinata slammed her open palm into his chest. She felt her chakra enter his body, blocking chakra holes and doing internal damage. Thank you Neji-nii-san, she silently prayed. The Sound ninja coughed up blood, spattering her face. She kicked off his body and leapt a good distance away.

She landed facing away, and she heard as his body collided with the ground with a deep thump. She smiled. That went just as she planned.

Suddenly, pain shot through her body, and she doubled over. She noticed that her precious hoodie was sliced in several places. Blood seeped through, staining her jacket.

The Sound nin must have gotten past her defenses somehow. Cuts from the chakra scalpel began to open and bleed freely. The Sound ninja's chakra. She looked up at the silver-haired shinobi. He was the one who healed me during Chuunin Exam.

She watched as the silver-haired Sound ninja rose, and faced the two genin once more. Who – no. What was he? He shouldn't have enough strength or chakra left to even stand, Hinata thought desperately.

"Kabuto!" Hinata whipped her head around. Naruto was running forward, but he was still too far away to protect her. She would have to protect herself. She tried to stand, but another wave of pain washed through her and she collapsed again.

The Sound shinobi – Kabuto – threw a spattering of shuriken Naruto's way to slow him down. Naruto dodged them all, and continued to advance. Kabuto shrugged and turned back to Hinata.

Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "Surprised that I'm still standing? I use a jutsu that allows me to regenerate my damaged cells. You have appeared to have blocked some of my chakra holes. I commend you on that. But in a moment, when you're dead, it's not going to matter," he sneered at her.

"Kabuto, you bastard! I'll never forgive you for this!" Naruto was suddenly at Hinata's side.

"Gatsuga!" Two silver, whirling figures drilled through the air, both crashing directly on top of a surprised Kabuto. Kiba and Akamaru leapt away from the crater in the ground. Hinata's eyes widened. So Kiba and Akamaru had come also?

Naruto's red aura dissipated as Kiba and Akamaru approached.

"Kiba?" Naruto helped Hinata to her feet, catching her when she staggered. She flushed slightly at his touch, and bit back the urge to push her fingers together and look at the ground.

"Yeah, do you think that I'd let Hinata do all the dirty work? Nice move, though, Hinata," Kiba grinned.

Naruto smiled. Hinata noticed that his calm blue eyes were back. Naruto stepped forward to high-five Kiba and pat Akamaru on the head. He commented on how big Akamaru had gotten in the past year.

Hinata glanced toward the crater, formerly known as Kabuto. She didn't want to see his body. She had seen the kind of damage that Kiba's jutsu did to unsuspecting enemies. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Kiba followed her gaze. "Kabuto, eh? Wasn't he that one genin from the Chuunin Exams a long time ago?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, "but he's actually Orochimaru's subordinate – a Sound ninja, and he's a much higher level than he led us to believe."

"I'm not done with you, yet!" The trio and Akamaru whirled around. Kabuto stood at the very edge of the crater, panting heavily, but, unfortunately – Hinata trembled – alive. Kabuto's glasses had broken from Kiba's jutsu and lay in a mangled heap at his feet.

Hinata shivered. Kabuto's gray eyes turned red at the edges. This was something unnatural. Naruto shuddered, and Akamaru growled. Kiba drew a handful of shuriken and sent them whirling through the tense air at Kabuto.

Kabuto snatched all four shuriken out of the air. And he threw them back.

Without her Byakugan, Hinata couldn't see them – they were moving that fast. All four were simply a slight shimmer in the air. She could hear their whining trajectory – straight for her and Naruto and Kiba and Akamaru. She felt frozen to the spot.

Suddenly a great buzzing black wall dropped down to block the shuriken. The shuriken dropped to the ground – useless. Shino materialized beside them in a dark cloud of Destruction Bugs.

"Shino!" Kiba and Naruto said simultaneously. Both grinned, glad to see their comrade. Hinata smiled. Shino had chosen to help her and Naruto-kun as well. Shino nodded to her. His way of apologizing.

"No more interruptions!" Kabuto staggered forward wildly. His eyes were now completely red, instead of just tinged red at the edges.

"Byakugan!"

"Jyujin Bunshin!"

"Kikaichu no Jutsu!"

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

All four genin and Akamaru faced Kabuto, each at the ready with their own jutsus. Kabuto's uneasy gaze passed from each of them. He frowned, calculating the situation. Finally, he stepped back, drawing something from behind his back. Through her Byakugan, Hinata could see that it was a smoke pellet.

"This is a very inopportune time, Naruto-kun. Perhaps we will meet again later when your annoying friends aren't around," Kabuto smirked, throwing the smoke pellet to the ground. A dark, thick cloud blossomed from the floor.

"Bastard! I'm not letting you get away!" Naruto and his clones ran towards the cloud of smoke. Through the smoke, Hinata could not sense Kabuto's chakra – only Naruto-kun and his clones. She shook her head as the smoke cleared and let her Byakugan drop. Shino and Kiba dropped their jutsus also. Akamaru transformed back into dog form in a puff of gray smoke. Only Naruto was still looking for Kabuto.

"Where is he? Where? Where?" his clones echoed as they fanned out, still searching for Kabuto.

"Oi, baka! You're a little late! He's gone, face it," Kiba grinned at Naruto's unwillingness to give up. Naruto's kage bunshin all disappeared in their own plumes of gray. The real Naruto ran up to Kiba. "Who are you calling baka?"

Hinata smiled slightly and shook her head. Same old competitive spirit.

Suddenly Naruto froze and smacked his forehead. "Damn it! I forgot all about him! Ero-sennin! Ero-Sennin!"

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Shino asked. Naruto was searching frantically now, running around the periphery of the clearing.

"Kabuto and those four Sound-nin over there," he pointed at the four dead ninja at the far side of the battle ground, "knocked out Ero-Sennin – er – Jiraiya-sama. And during the battle, I sort of forgot about him."

Kiba rolled his eyes. Hinata formed the seal with her hands, very aware of her own limited chakra supply.

"Byakugan!" She panned her gaze right and left. Finally she found him. Jiraiya had been the fifth person that she had seen – the one with a dwindling chakra system. "Naruto-kun! He's over there!" She called, pointing.

"Ero-Sennin! Hm? What's wrong with him?" Naruto tipped his head to one side. He clasped Jiraiya's shoulders roughly. "E-RO-SE-NNIN! Wake up!" He shouted, shaking the legendary San-Nin's shoulders roughly.

Kiba and Shino shuffled their feet awkwardly in the background. Hinata blushed, slightly embarrassed for Naruto. "Uhm… Naruto-kun? His chakra's been nearly depleted. He's not going to wake up until he restores it… and… uhm.." Hinata petered off, blushing even more.

Kiba stepped in to finish her sentence, "And you shaking him isn't helping his condition any! C'mon Naruto, hurry up and let's get him to the nearest village."

Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He helped Kiba load Jiraiya onto Akamaru's back. Akamaru barked, slightly annoyed at his new baggage. Kiba consoled Akamaru, telling him that he would get the poor dog a nice steak if he behaved. Akamaru whined once more, still sulking, but only slightly now. Hinata smiled. Kiba always had a way with Akamaru.

Suddenly a ragged bolt of pain shot through her. She collapsed slightly, gripping her upper arm. A thin layer of red oozed out from under her fingers.

Shino crouched beside her, his brow furrowed.

"It's deeper than it looked at first. We should get you to a medic as soon as possible, Hinata."

"Hm? Hinata? What's wrong?" Naruto materialized beside Shino. Hinata felt herself blush from her toes to the very top of her hairline. "Hinata? Do you have a fever too? What else did Kabuto do to you?"

"Uhm. Uhm. N-nothing Naruto-kun. I-I'll be fine," she stuttered, attempting to stand up. Another sudden flash of pain sent her stumbling – directly into Naruto's arms.

He looked at her with wide, blue eyes. She trembled and blushed again, willing the dancing black dots at the edges of her vision to overwhelm her. Please, she prayed, let me faint before I embarrass myself in front of him anymore.

"Hinata! Hinata, what's the matter?" Naruto shouted at her, turning her over so that she was lying on her back facing up towards him.

"It's a combination of blood loss and chakra exhaustion. We've just come from a mission concerning missing-nin," Shino said. _If I'm suffering from blood loss, why is all of it going to my cheeks?_ Hinata irritably thought.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Hinata let the words tumble from her lips.

"Why are you sorry, Hinata? You did great!" Naruto beamed at her. _I'm not a burden anymore!_ Hinata thought, mentally jumping for joy. Another wave of pain washed over her.

She couldn't remember if she smiled back before the looming blackness overwhelmed her.

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**Thanks to all who took the time out to review!**

**It really helps my morale to hear you guys encourage me :D**

**I feel loved**

**--K**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I'm borrowing these characters and enjoy toying with their lives. Thanks to Masashi Kishimoto for lending them without consent.

Thanks for the reviews!

--K

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"Oi! Ero-Sennin! Hurry up and get better! We need to finish training, remember?"

Hinata reached out her hand through the darkness. She recognized that voice – his voice. Naruto's voice.

"Naruto! Not everybody heals as fast as you do!" a deep voice rumbled, reprimanding the loud shinobi. Hinata hadn't heard it before, and couldn't place it. "Go check up on your friend."

Hinata's eyes fluttered open. She had trouble focusing on the face in front of her. Suddenly her vision sharpened, revealing a blonde, whiskered ninja with the familiar sky-blue eyes that she had daydreamed about for the past year. Naruto-kun. He was inches from her own face. She blinked. He blinked back.

She felt her complexion suddenly turn a bright shade of red. She couldn't breath. She panicked.

"Aiieee!" She screamed, throwing her arms over her face. Pillows bounced across the room, thrown by her flailing arms. Naruto jumped back and away as a look of stricken horror crossed his face.

"Hinata? What happened? Was it something I did? What's the matter?" Naruto let his words rush out. Hinata froze, and blushed again, this time at her own foolish behavior. She sat up and brought her index fingers in front of her, pushing them together, and pulling them apart again.

"G-Gomen, Na-Naruto-kun. I-I didn't realize that it was you," she stuttered, looking down. Liar! She shouted at herself in her mind. "I-I thought that you were somebody else…"

"Hinata!" The room's door was suddenly wrenched back. Kiba, Shino and Akamaru crowded through the doorway. All three relaxed once they made sure that Kabuto wasn't lurking in any hidden corner.

Kiba threw up his hands. "Hinata! You need to stop giving all of us such a scare!" She noted that the cut on his cheek had been bandaged.

She took a quick glance at her palms. They were bandaged tightly also. As was the cut on her arm. She moved it gingerly, only to wince as a twinge of pain shot through her arm.

Shino adjusted his glasses on his nose. "Are you feeling better now?"

Hinata nodded. Cheeks still flushed, but social tragedy averted, she turned to take in her surroundings. She was sitting up on a soft, silk bedroll. The floor was a dark, wooden mahogany, and the walls were wood, save a sliding paper door on one side. Across the room next to Naruto-kun lay another bedroll. A massive man with a long, prickly white hair sat up and looked at her. She averted her gaze. He had seen and heard everything. Did he know her secret now?

"Gomen. Did I wake you?" She dipped her head in an improvised bow. The man waved her apology away. He smiled at her.

"No, I was already awake. Because some people," he kicked at Naruto unsuccessfully through the bedroll, "wake up those who need rest!"

"Ah! What are you talking about Ero-Sennin? You told me to go check on her!" Naruto yelled back, dodging the clumsy kick.

"Ero-Sennin?! Who's an Ero-Sennin?"

The two continued to bicker, and Kiba and Shino turned back to Hinata, shaking their heads. Hinata smiled shyly. Naruto-kun. He was always so spirited.

Hinata opened the silken bedroll and stepped out onto the warm, wooden floor. "Where are we?"

"We're in that bath town that you spotted yesterday," Shino informed her.

Kiba grinned. "You'll feel as good as new as soon as you try their baths. I can't wait!"

Hinata smiled slightly. She did feel like she needed some rejuvenating. Shino frowned.

"I don't think that we should stay from Konoha this long. Tsunade-sama –"

"C'mon Shino! Just today won't hurt! And you guys can leave first thing tomorrow morning!" Naruto suddenly butted in, hooking an arm around Shino's shoulders. Shino frowned again. Hinata tensed. Shino had never liked Naruto because he had always disobeyed orders under his leadership.

Jiraiya – as Hinata correctly assumed – cleared his throat, and everyone turned to face him.

"Why don't you all stay another day? I can send a quick message to Tsunade and tell her that I apprehended you guys. After all, you're the ones that saved Naruto and me. And I'm obviously not going to be up and about for another day or so, and I need you to help Naruto train so I can actually _get some rest_!" He looked pointedly at Naruto who in turn looked pointedly at the wall. "I'll make sure that you guys won't get punished for coming back a day later than normal from your mission. Besides you have an injured comrade here," he said, pointing at Hinata. "What do you say?" He turned to Shino.

Shino frowned again. Please, Hinata mentally begged, please Shino-kun!

"C'mon Shino! Please?" Kiba smiled convincingly. Akamaru yipped in agreement.

Shino turned to walk out of the room. Hinata and Kiba's expressions fell.

But Shino paused at the door. "Just make sure you tell Tsunade-sama that _you_ are the one detaining us. And we're only staying for _one_ day, not a single minute longer," he said as he walked away.

Behind him, Shino could hear Kiba and Akamaru yapping to each other excitedly, and Naruto shouting his thanks at Jiraiya. Only Hinata was silent.

Probably blushing at the thought of finally spending some time with her precious Naruto-kun, Shino thought. And he smiled.

"That's not fair!" Kiba stalked back and forth across the room. Akamaru whined his agreement and followed his master as he paced. Hinata finished folding the hotel's silk bedroll into a neat pile on the wooden floor.

"Aw, c'mon Kiba, you can leave Akamaru behind just this once!" Naruto spoke up – soon wishing he hadn't. Akamaru was on top of him in a second, teeth bared. "J-Just k-kidding…"

Hinata smiled secretly to herself. Naruto-kun, she thought to herself, stuttering is _my_ job. She patted the blankets once more before standing up.

Kiba was pitching a fit because the bathhouse wouldn't allow pets. Akamaru counted as a pet, albeit a 100-pound, white, fluffy monstrosity of a pet. But still a pet. Hinata walked over to Kiba and tapped his shoulder.

"Uhm, Kiba-kun, you could always use Jyujin Bunshin on Akamaru. The bathhouse's employees would never know. They would assume that you were twins…"

Kiba grinned and snapped his fingers. "Hinata! You're a genius! I don't know why I didn't think of that before!"

After a hard day's worth of training, Team 8 and Naruto were worn out. Kiba suggested visiting the village's bathhouse to loosen up before starting back to Konoha the next morning. After all, Jiraiya-sama's pardon for Team 8's absence lasted until then. Might as well make the most of it.

The four gennin and Akamaru were headed into the bathhouse when an employee had stopped them. He had pointed to a sign near the front. "No pets allowed."

They had headed back to their hotel room, and Shino went to get his team a late lunch. Kiba had had a fit as soon as Shino was gone. But now he beamed at Hinata for coming up with such a clever solution. However, Kiba wasn't the only one who was impressed.

"Good work, Hinata! I never would've thought of that either," Naruto clapped her on the back. Hinata fought the embarrassing blush creeping up and across her features. She could still feel her face turning the appropriate shade of pink. "Th-thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Mm? Hinata? What's wrong, are you getting sick again?" Naruto leaned forward to feel Hinata's forehead. He's too close, she desperately thought. The deep red flush replaced Hinata's light blush. She wanted to step back and run away before Naruto-kun could hear her heart pulsing in her chest. She wanted to run away before he could hear her thoughts screaming, I love you! Naruto-kun! I will love you always and forever!

Instead she chose a gracious escape. And, as the many times before – she fainted.

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This is a really short chapter, but I hope you guys liked it. :D

I'll upload the next one soon! But no promises, because as all my DevArt watchers can testify, I suck at keeping them.

Life gets in the way.

Anyhoo…

Thanks to all of my reviewers!

You guys rock!

Bobboky

Quackpotty

Dragon Man 180

THE HEE-HO KING

Shawny Wong

Eiji.K.lover123

LadyxSerenity

You're awesome :D

I can't believe I got as many hits as I did…

It's mind-boggling!

Anyways, allow me to get over my awe and I'll upload the next chapter soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey you guys! Thanks so much for the reviews : I really don't deserve half of them, but thanks anyways. They make me feel great.

School's being retarded. Never take AP Bio. It can and will ruin your life. And sleep. And hopes and dreams. And I'm pretty sure it'll suck out your soul while it's at it…

Here's the next chapter.

I hope you enjoy!

Humbly yours,

--K

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Oddly enough.

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Hinata blinked. She couldn't see anything.

"Where am I?" She bolted straight up. A candle flickered at the far side of the room, casting a dancing shadow on the wall.

Suddenly Hinata's memories came flooding back. She breathed a sigh of relief. She flopped back down on the hotel's bedroll. As she remembered how she had fainted, she grit her teeth. She had fainted_again_? What did Naruto-kun think of her now? Had she embarrassed herself again?

Hinata heard a rustling from the other side of the room. She stiffened, and then relaxed again. It was probably just Akamaru. Maybe Kiba had left him behind after all?

"Akamaru! Here boy!" Hinata called out, her voice cutting through the darkness.

"Oi? Hinata? You're awake?" Hinata almost fell over from fright. That certainly wasn't Akamaru.

"Na-Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispered, her voice barely audible. What would she do if it really was Naruto? "I can't faint again!" she firmly told herself.

"Yeah? What is it, Hinata? Do you need something?" Naruto picked up the flickering candle and carried it over to Hinata. She felt her face grow exponentially warmer with every step that Naruto took towards her. She grasped fistfuls of her bedroll.

_Don't faint. Don't faint. Don't faint_, she chanted inside her head like a mantra. Hinata felt her insides go rubbery. She was alone in a dark room with Naruto-kun. The very thought made her tremble even more.

Suddenly Naruto was beside her, the candlelight flickering shadows across his face as he set it on the wooden floor. "Hinata! You're shaking like a leaf! Do you have the flu?"

Luckily, this time, Naruto didn't reach over to feel her forehead. Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat. _Don't faint. Don't faint._

Hinata grimaced and shook her head. _No more running away, Hinata!_ she angrily reprimanded herself. _Prove to yourself and – more importantly – to him that you've changed. You can do this!_

She took a deep breath, and turned to face Naruto in the dim light. She smiled shyly. "No, Naruto-kun. I'm fine."

Naruto smiled. "That's good."

Hinata cleared her throat. "So… where's everyone else?"

"Oh, they went to the village's bath house. Kiba used your idea with Akamaru after all. Shino went with him. Ero-Sennin – er, I mean – Jiraiya-sama probably went to look for girls," Naruto said. "I volunteered to stay behind to look after you. After all," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "It was sort of my fault that you passed out again."

Hinata tipped her head to the side. "Wasn't Jiraiya-sama injured badly? Isn't that why he delayed us?"

Naruto shrugged. "Ero-Sennin was probably faking most of his injuries. He probably just wanted you guys to stay to distract me so that he could run around town and do his stupid 'research.' That's what he's doing now…"

Hinata frowned. Wasn't Jiraiya supposed to be a legendary San-Nin? Why would he want to trick a few genin?

Naruto noted her confused expression. "Don't worry he does this stuff all the time. You just have to get used to it."

_Well if Naruto-kun isn't worried..._

Hinata smiled. She hoped that Shino and Kiba and Akamaru were having a relaxing time at the baths.

"Hinata? Did you want to join everybody else at the baths too?"

Hinata jumped. What could she say? _No, Naruto-kun, want to stay here alone with you?_ Absolutely not. She blushed as she said, "Well, if you want to go, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto stretched his arms over his head. "Nah. I'm too tired from training today. Besides aren't you injured still?"

Hinata moved her shoulders in what she hoped was a shrug and bit back a wince as she moved the bandage over the wound on her arm. "It's alright. I can stay here."

Naruto frowned. "Alone? No, it's ok, Hinata. I'll stay with you then."

Hinata smiled shyly. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto was pleased with her reaction. "Ah, it's no problem, Hinata-chan."

The two sat in a companionable silence for a few moments. Naruto broke the silence.

"Oh, Hinata I forgot to tell you," he said with a wide grin, "those were some nice moves you showed during training today. You've gotten so much better than I would've guessed!"

Hinata smiled. "Y-you too, Naruto-kun. You've improved so much. I-I'm so proud of you."

Naruto laughed lightly. "Thanks, Hinata! Ero-Sennin's a really harsh sensei," he stuck out his tongue. Hinata laughed in return.

The two continued to talk about Konoha business, and Hinata waited for Naruto to ask about Sakura, but his questions about the pink-haired kunoichi were mysteriously absent. Hinata didn't want to bring up her rival for Naruto's attention, so his silence on the subject pleased her. Finally out of topics, the two lapsed back into silence.

"I like your new jacket, Naruto-kun," Hinata said in a desperate attempt to break the silence. Naruto lifted his chin proudly.

"Thanks! I like it too! You know how I got it?" Hinata shook her head. "Ero-Sennin told me that he wouldn't be seen with a ninja who wore so much orange. I told him that I wouldn't wear any other color. Finally we compromised."

Hinata laughed. Naruto smiled in return. "I like your new jacket too, Hinata."

Hinata blushed lightly. "Oh, I outgrew my other one…" She petered off. No use in telling him what _part_ of her outgrew her old jacket. In the past two years, Hinata had finally filled out a womanly shape, complete with a full bust-line. She cleared her throat. "You've grown too Naruto-kun. You got taller."

"Yeah,_everybody_ got taller. Your teammates too."

"You're right. But… I'm around them so much that I hardly notice," Hinata said thoughtfully. "But I haven't seen you in over a year and a half… I missed you a lot." Hinata almost hit herself. _I shouldn't have said that! He probably thinks that I'm stupid or something!_

Hinata glanced up. She noticed a slight blush radiating off Naruto's cheeks.

"I missed you too, Hinata."

Hinata almost melted into her bedroll. She could feel the blood rising to her cheeks before she could stop it. _He missed me too!_ She thought gleefully.

"Th-thank y-you, Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata's nervous stutter was unusually pronounced. She cursed herself. What was wrong with her? How could she want to be with Naruto-kun if she could hardly stand fifteen minutes talking to him – and stutter over half the time. How could she stay awake at night, staring at the ceiling, and thinking only about him if she couldn't act normally whenever she was with him? How could she possibly love him and earn his love in return if she feared what he thought of her to such a ridiculous extent?

"How can you love someone so much, and fear being with them so much at the same time?" Hinata murmured, still trapped deep in her own thoughts. Suddenly she stiffened with realization. _Oh God, I said it out loud!_

Naruto didn't miss a beat. "That's easy. Even though you love them, you love them so much that you get worked up all the time, worrying about what they think about you."

Hinata allowed herself to breathe again. She blinked. What he said was actually true… She did get worked up over seeing him, and when she finally got to talk to him, she couldn't think of anything to say, lest it make Naruto think that she was stupid or even worse – weak.

Suddenly Naruto grinned slyly. "I know who you're talking about, Hinata." Hinata's world froze.

She gulped, and her pulse skyrocketed. _Oh God, he knows that I'm talking about him! Don't faint! Please don't faint!_

Naruto wagged his finger at her. "You're talking about Neji aren't you?"

Hinata bit back hysterical laughter. Instead, she let out a shuddering breath. "Neji-nii-san… Yes, how did you know?"

Naruto looked pleased with himself and grinned. Suddenly he frowned. "You know, Hinata. You shouldn't care so much about what other people think about you. I mean, _I_ don't, and look at me!"

Hinata did look at him. She took in his bright blue eyes that sparkled in the candlelight and his warm, comforting smile. He was… happy. Hinata looked down at her lap. Was she happy?

Naruto continued. "And besides, other people who make you feel uncomfortable… you shouldn't hang out with them. It's bad for your self-confidence."

The irony of his statement was not lost to Hinata. _You're describing how you make me feel, Naruto-kun_, she thought.

"Self-confidence…" Hinata mused out loud. She looked back at Naruto, accidentally locking eyes with him. She felt the world grind to a halt. She couldn't hear or see anything else besides Naruto and his smile. Hinata felt her insides collapse into a puddle of mush. Naruto looked back, and she could tell that he felt the same way. She wanted the moment to end, but – at the same time – hoped that it would last forever.

Naruto broke the connection first. He glanced away, still smiling. Hinata looked down at her hands. She fought the urge to push her index fingers together and apart. She sat on her hands. She dared to look back up at Naruto.

He was frowning. Hinata felt the bottom drop out of her world. _He hates me now. I know it_, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "Na-Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry. It was an accident. I-I won't do it again. I-I promise…"

"Hm? No, I'm not mad at you." Hinata's eyes flew open. Naruto was smiling shyly at her. He glanced away. "That's just never happened before… Not even with Saku–" He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Sakura-chan?" Hinata finished for him. She clamped her hands over her mouth. Sakura's name had popped out of her treacherous mouth before Hinata could even blink. How could she be so stupid?

Naruto looked away. "Yeah. Sakura-chan. She's never looked at me the way that you do, Hinata. When you looked at me… it was so…so tender and exposed at the same time. I don't know how to describe it properly," Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Hinata smiled briefly, and looked away. Beside her, Naruto sighed.

"You probably think that I'm stupid now, don't you? Everybody else does…" Naruto petered off. Hinata glanced up sharply.

"Naruto-kun… The only thing that I've ever felt for you is the utmost respect! That and…" Hinata willed her voice to fail her before she could get herself into any deeper trouble. Her heart was hammering a mile a minute, and her cheeks were aflame. Thank god for dim lighting.

But Naruto didn't miss her last words. He perked up. "And what?"

Hinata looked away. She gazed fixedly into the darkness. "And nothing… Just forget I said anything. I take it back…"

Naruto tipped his head to the side. He smirked. "Hey, Hinata, what's your nindo?" Hinata felt her heart sink. _What is my Way of the Ninja?_

Hinata sucked in a long breath. He still remembered her words after all these years? _Obviously! They were his words to begin with. You just copied him_, she viciously thought to herself.

"My nindo is to never take back my words," she said dejectedly, hanging her head. Nindos didn't count at times like this! Only during battles and promises and things like that!

Naruto grin widened as he nodded his head. "Mhm! So what were you going to say?"

"I-I think you're…very nice?"

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "I don't think that's what you wanted to say, Hinata," he said as he leaned forward. He tipped his head to the side, and leaned closer to her face. Hinata avoided his probing gaze and looked down. _Don't faint! Don't faint! Oh my god! I'm going to faint!_

"Hinata! Don't faint on me again!" Naruto took her by the shoulders. _Oh, god… how did he know that I was going to faint?_ She desperately thought. She avoided his eyes again, feeling an incriminating blush creeping into her cheeks. _He's too close!_

"Na-Naruto-kun… I-I…"

"Hinata, what did you want to tell me?" Hinata dared to glance up. Naruto's eyes were riveting, concentrated on her and her alone.

Hinata felt herself panic. Naruto still held her shoulders – firmly, but tenderly. She felt trapped. "Na-Naruto-kun… I-I…"

"What do you think about me?"

_I can't tell him! I can't tell him the truth! He'll hate me forever! He doesn't like me back! He'll avoid me, and never look me in the eye, or ever talk to me ever again! If he stopped treating me like Hinata, I could never look at myself in the mirror ever again. If we stopped being friends, I would cease to exist. I would loathe my very existence. I would lose who I was. I would lose… Naruto-kun…_

_If I tell him what I really feel… he'll hate me … always and forever…_

"What, Hinata? What did you want to tell me? Don't be afraid!"

Naruto's words echoed through her mind. _You know, Hinata. You shouldn't care so much about what other people think about you. I mean, I don't, and look at me!_

"Look at me! Hinata, look at me please!"

_Will I live the rest of my life in fear that I'll drive away Naruto-kun? Will I continue to follow him around like his shadow, or will I step into the spotlight and take the chance that he will love me in return? Love is a risk… will I take it?_

"Hinata!"

Hinata jerked her gaze back to Naruto's blue eyes, now sparking and engaged.

Before she could stop herself, she let all of her pent up words come. She let them flow out of her mouth before she could have second thoughts. Before she could second-guess her actions… like every other time that she hadn't dared to tell Naruto how she really felt.

"I've always loved you! Always and forever!"


	5. Chapter 5

Hey Readers!

Thanks for being so awesome all of you!

And no, this is not shallow flattery… It's a very heart-felt sort of flattery.

Just kidding, all :…

Well, thanks for sticking with this! Sorry for the delay, but school is being retarded. Have any of you ever close read for English? It's like taking a pen and highlighter and waging an unholy war on the pages of a classics novel. It's awful (not to mention insulting for all those genius, long-dead authors whose lives' works we are tearing apart at the seams).

But don't feel bad for me. Pity the teachers. All the honors and AP students are getting so fed up, we're about to take our pens and highlighters and wage a holy war on the freaking TEACHERS :D Yay!

I used to love English. TT.TT

Ah well… It can't be helped…

Here's Chapter 5 for all of you brave souls.

Thanks again for reading,

--K

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Hinata grimaced and closed her eyes. _Brace yourself…_

_He'll never talk to me again… He'll never look at me the same way… I finally told him how I feel and now…_

"Hinata… I had no idea," Hinata dared to open her eyes a crack. Naruto's tone wasn't condescending or even angry. Just extremely confused.

Hinata looked up. Naruto was frowning. She felt her heart sink. _I'm losing him…_

"Na-Naruto-kun… I-I… I'm so sorry…Oh! I'm so stupid!" Hinata drew her knees to her chest and hugged them fiercely. She buried her head in her arms. A lone tear slid down her cheek. The first leak before the dam broke.

"What? Why are you stupid? Hinata – " She felt a warm hand press against her own. A comforting arm slid around her hunched-over shoulders. "Hinata, it's not you."

Hinata jerked her head up. "W-what do you mean? When I told you… y-you looked so… disturbed…" She turned her head to face him. Her eyes widened. Naruto was smiling down at her.

"No, I was frowning because I thought that you and Kiba… were… well…" Naruto looked away, embarrassed to speak any further.

Hinata's white eyes grew wider. "K-Kiba-kun?"

Naruto grinned foolishly. "I don't know… I assumed that since you guys were in the same team and he was closer to you than I was… I thought that you guys were dating."

Hinata felt her mouth go slack in a way that she knew was crude. "K-Kiba-kun and I are close… b-but not _going out_."

She felt Naruto's arm around her shoulder relax. He chuckled and smiled down at her. "Damn… The joke's on me then. When you told me that you… loved me… I was only confused because I thought that you and Kiba were an item." He shook his head at his folly.

Hinata felt her shoulders tense. _But that still doesn't explain how you feel about me, Naruto-kun!_

As if reading her mind, Naruto spoke. "Hinata, this was a really big surprise… but it was a really nice one," he smiled and looked away, "I didn't know that you felt that way about me, and I'm really impressed that you had the guts to tell me. I mean… nobody's ever told me before that they loved me…"

Hinata blushed and looked away. Suddenly it dawned on her. The comfortable weight around her shoulders. The warmth pouring into her body from behind. The tender hand pressed against her own.

_Please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please! Don't faint!_ Hinata pleaded with herself. Suddenly her calm demeanor snapped.

She jumped up, knocking over Naruto in the process, and ran to the door. Her fingers grazed the door, but suddenly a firm hand was wrapped around her slender wrist.

Suddenly Naruto was beside her, her wrist pinned between their two bodies.

"Hinata, please don't run away," he whispered huskily into her ear. Hinata felt her cheeks flame red. She looked away, not risking to glance up into Naruto's confident blue eyes.

"Na-Naruto-kun. I-I can't stay. I-I can't – "

"Live down your nindo and take back your words?"

Hinata froze and slowly raised her eyes.

Naruto took a tender hand and tilted her chin upwards. He stood almost half a foot taller than her, gazing down into her pure, white eyes with his own blue. Hinata felt something inside of her tremble.

"Hinata… Even though I didn't know your feelings for me before… Now that I know, I feel like we're somehow connected. I mean – tonight, you've shown me a side of yourself that I've never known, and well... Tonight was one of the best nights that I've had in a long while…"

Naruto slipped his hand down her wrist and entwined his fingers with hers. "Especially because I spent it with you."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata felt the blood rush to her cheeks, but she didn't care. She looked up at Naruto, drinking in the sight of him. Just once more, Hinata decided to be bold.

She slowly lifted her free hand and let her fingertips perch on his cheek. She ran her slender fingers over the whisker marks on his face. Underneath her hand, Hinata felt Naruto shiver.

Naruto slid his hand across Hinata's chin, and under her black hair. He gently stroked the back of her neck, and ran his fingers through her hair. His clasp on Hinata's other hand tightened, and he took a step towards her.

Hinata could barely breathe. She leaned into his sturdy form and felt the warmth that radiated through his jacket. She pressed her hand – and his – against his chest and over his heart. It was beating faster than Hinata would have guessed. She felt her own heart speed up more and more with each passing moment.

Naruto leaned down, and used his hand on the back of her head to gently guide her closer to him. He felt one of her slim hands run through his hair. _How can she be so graceful and timid and alluring at the same time?_

Hinata felt her lips part slightly, and the knot in the pit of her stomach tightened. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She felt Naruto's lips graze her forehead, then her closed eyelids. Lower and lower.

Naruto closed his eyes and let his heart lead his actions. He let his lips graze her forehead and then her eyelids. Then, finally their lips met.

Hinata was encased in the sweetest pleasure that she'd ever known. Naruto's lips were tenderly pressed against her own. Sweet warmth flooded though her body as their affection turned to passion.

Naruto felt instinct guide him as he eagerly kissed Hinata. He wanted to taste her. To get to know the taste of her. To become completely and utterly intoxicated by her.

Hinata broke away first. She looked down, panting slightly. When she looked back up, Naruto was smiling at her. His lips were drawn back in a warm grin. Had she really tasted those lips? She blushed. She wished that it would happen again.

Naruto leaned in again. He ran his hand though her hair. Hinata's free hand skimmed across his cheeks, finally coming to rest on the nape of his neck.

When their lips met again, Hinata closed her eyes. She could have sworn – as Naruto's mouth pressed against hers – that he was smiling.

Naruto felt her body pressed against his and felt an overwhelming and powerful desire. He wanted her so badly. But he would wait. He would wait until she was ready for that step.

As they broke apart once again, Hinata felt Naruto draw her even closer. He leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"Hinata… I will always love you too. Always and forever."

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Kyaa!! Kawaii nee?

Haha, I hope you all liked that.

I had no idea what I was writing. Never been kissed before :D **gasp!!**

Could anybody tell?

I relied a lot on Nicholas Sparks for that scene. I highly recommend "The Guardian" for a good fiction book, and "Three Weeks With My Brother" for a good non-fiction one. Both by Nicholas Sparks. Awesome author.

And no, don't worry. This is not the end.

Not even close :D muhaha…

Thanks for reading!

--K


	6. Chapter 6

Hey all! Guess what?

It's my birthday today! basks in applause and dodges a shoe

Sweet 16, oh yeah ;D. Well, I've decided that I'm going to give all of you a present today for being such awesome readers!

Special Thanks to Quackpotty for being such an awesome reviewer! You've been with me from the very start, and have been such a faithful reviewer. Plus, you're actually one of the few that catches my grammar mistakes :D yay and props for you!

Enjoy reading.

--K

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"Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured. _He finally loves me! After all these years…_ She looked up into his serene, blue eyes. _He really loves me…_

Naruto was about to pull her closer again to kiss, but suddenly footsteps echoed from through the door. Hinata stepped away from Naruto, and formed a seal with her hands. "Byakugan!"

She instantly gasped. "Oh no! Shino and Kiba are back! Quick, go sit over there!" Hinata gestured wildly to the far side of the room as she fled to her silk bedroll on the floor.

Naruto didn't protest. He knew how protective that Hinata's teammates were over her. Especially Shino. And Shino didn't like Naruto for certain reasons from the past. Leadership issues and such.

He heard Hinata rustle into her bedroll and assume a sleeping position. It took all of his self-control to not snuggle into her bed beside her. He fled to the far side of the room, stooping down to pick up the candle on his way past.

Not a moment too soon. The door slid open, and the rest of Team 8 crowded into the room. Kiba's raucous laughter filled the hotel room. "Hah! That employee sure got a shock when I ended the jutsu! Man, that was so much fun! Oi! Naruto? Hinata?"

"Kiba! Shut up, would ya? Hinata's still sleeping!" Naruto called from across the room. He heard Hinata rustle in her bedroll on the floor.

"Nn? K-Kiba-kun? Shino-kun? Akamaru?" Hinata sat up sleepily and rubbed her eyes. Shino walked over to a side table and lit a lamp. The room brightened. Hinata blinked groggily, as if she had just woken up. "What time is it?"

Shino stood over her, his expression unreadable behind his glasses. "It's late. Past dinnertime. Are you hungry?"

Kiba and Akamaru bounded over to stand next to Shino. Akamaru whined and lay down, placing his heavy head atop Hinata's knees. Kiba grinned. "Yeah! Let's eat! I'm starving!"

Shino turned back to Kiba. "I wasn't talking to you. You already ate enough to last for a trip to Konoha and back again."

Kiba rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Doesn't mean I'm not still hungry."

Hinata smiled. Typical Kiba. She nodded. "Yes. Dinner sounds nice."

Naruto stood up on the far side of the room. "I'm pretty hungry too. I'll go get us something to eat." He started for the door. Hinata struggled out from underneath Akamaru.

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto stopped at the door, and turned back. He tipped his head to the side. "Hm? What is it, Hinata?"

Hinata blushed slightly, and glanced up at Shino. "Maybe I should go with Naruto-kun to make sure that he doesn't buy us all just ramen for dinner?"

Shino hesitated, then nodded. Kiba grinned. "Good thinking Hinata. Knowing Naruto, he'd probably just waste his money. I want something more substantial than instant cup ramen for dinner."

Hinata grabbed her jacket and quickly followed Naruto out the door before she could strangle Kiba.

"Hah! You're pretty smart too, you know that, Hinata?" Naruto draped his arm across Hinata's shoulders, and she blushed.

"Th-thank you, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered, blushing prettily in the crisp night air.

The two shinobi walked down the village's main road, which was mostly deserted for such a reasonable hour at night. But Naruto was grateful. Hinata seemed so embarrassed around him already. He didn't need a gaggle of people choking them in a crowd to push Hinata's nervousness over the edge.

They passed the village's bathhouse and a few shops along the street. Naruto didn't see any restaurants yet, but a sign caught his eye._Paradise House_, he read. He looked away in disgust. That was probably where Ero-Sennin was. Luckily, Jiraiya hadn't taken his wallet this time, leaving him enough money to treat his friends to dinner.

"Na-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto glanced down. "Hm? What is it, Hinata?"

Hinata looked away, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "Would you mind if we don't tell my team yet. I-I mean – about us? They're so protective of me. And I don't think that they all take kindly to y-you…"

Naruto grinned. He didn't want to push Hinata. If she wanted to wait a hundred years to tell her team, he could wait.

Suddenly a tantalizing aroma caught Naruto's attention. He sniffed the air, and Hinata glanced up. "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's eyes widened, and his mouth watered. "Ramen…"

"Uhm… Naruto-kun? Shouldn't we get a _real_ dinner? Kiba-kun and Shino-kun will be mad with us if we don't –"

"Aww!_Please_ Hinata?" Naruto pulled Hinata closer with his arm, and grinned down at her winningly. Hinata glanced away and blushed. She lightly laid her fingertips on his hand.

"Oh… I-I guess they wouldn't mind t-too much…"

Naruto whooped with delight and grabbed Hinata's hand. He dragged her to a small food stall to the right.

Once in front of the stall, Naruto deeply inhaled the welcome scent of ramen. He let his breath out with a great _whoosh_. Hinata smiled up at him. The way to Naruto-kun's heart, was through his stomach…

"Hey! Hey! Jii-chan! Can I have five bowls of ramen?" Naruto called cheerfully to the old man behind the counter. Hinata counted in her head.

"Naruto-kun… Akamaru can't eat ramen…" Hinata tipped her head to the side in her confusion.

"Well, I guess I might have to accidentally eat Akamaru's on the way back to the hotel then. Don't tell them, ok?" Naruto grinned in his mischief. Hinata smiled back.

"Ok."

After paying for the ramen with his bulging frog wallet, Naruto slurped down Akamaru's bowl on "accident." He sighed contentedly. "Well, it's not Ichiraku's, but it's still ramen. That's one of the biggest things that I miss about Konoha."

The two started to head back to the hotel. Hinata nodded as she shifted the take-out bag with two bowls of ramen into the other hand. Naruto offered to carry both bags and all four bowls, but Hinata insisted that she carry at least one bag. She didn't want to be completely useless. Or let Naruto-kun face the temptation of carrying four bowls of ramen.

A cool breeze drifted through Hinata's black hair. She shivered. Naruto looked down.

"Hinata? Are you ok?"

Hinata nodded and smiled. "Yes. I just got a little cold."

Naruto juggled his bag into the other hand, and wrapped his free one around Hinata's shoulders. "You shouldn't be cold now."

Hinata avidly fought the blush creeping into her cheeks. She felt an entirely new reason to shiver.

Hinata stopped to buy Akamaru a juicy raw steak at a store, and the two passed by the bathhouse. Suddenly, Naruto stopped her, and reached down. A small flowerbed struggled to grow beside the steamy baths. A lone white flower flourished among the other yellowing plants. Naruto snapped off the white flower's crisp stem. He wiped the flower's sap on his pants and reached over to Hinata.

Naruto tucked the flower into Hinata's hair, behind her ear. Hinata blushed at his lingering touch.

"Th-thank you, Naruto-k-kun."

The two continued on their way in companionable silence. A few blocks from the hotel, Naruto stopped walking.

"Hey, Hinata. Can I ask you something?"

Hinata glanced up. "Yes, N-Naruto-kun?"

"Why did you always used to run away from me in Konoha? I mean, whenever I would talk to you, you would faint or take off sprinting in the opposite direction…" Naruto petered off. "But now I know it was mostly because you liked me a lot. But why did you act like you did?"

Hinata turned away. "I was afraid."

"Afraid?" Naruto mouthed the word uncertainly. "Why were you afraid of me?"

Hinata attempted to bring her index fingers up to her face to push them together, but the ramen bag restrained her left. "I was always afraid that I would do something stupid in front of you. Or I would say the wrong thing. Or I would trip and fall and you would laugh at me. I was always afraid that I would do something wrong, and you would finally see how stupid and useless I really was."

Beside her, Naruto was silent, mulling over her words.

"That's why I was afraid. That's why I was a coward and ran away." Hinata took careful interest in the ground. She avidly watched the little clouds of dirt that her feet kicked up.

"Hinata." Naruto finally broke the silence. Hinata hesitated before looking up. Naruto's calm blue eyes mingled with her white ones. He was frowning slightly, but not at her.

Naruto couldn't get the words out of his mouth. _I've felt like that forever. When I was a child, I always ran away. Everyone hated me, so I was always afraid of doing something worse. Then everyone would have an even better reason to hate me. I ran away from my problems. Finally I learned that I couldn't solve my problems by running from them. I learned to face my problems. I learned to fight and overcome them. I found the courage to stand up and fight… Only then was I not afraid. Only then did I not run away._

"Naruto-kun? What is it?"

Hinata's voice broke through his thoughts. Naruto placed his bag of ramen on the ground, and with one hand, he grasped Hinata's free one. He took Hinata's chin gently in his other hand. He tilted her chin upwards, and gazed deep into her eyes. He could tell that she wanted to look away, but he wouldn't let her. Naruto brushed his lips across her smooth forehead. He whispered so that only she could hear.

"Don't run away, Hinata. And don't ever be afraid."

-------------

Well Merry Christmas! I probably won't post until after Christmas Break (And NO I'm NOT going to be politically correct :P muhaha "Winter" break? Fah!)

So good bye all you faithful readers! (For now… )(That's a promise, not a threat)

And thanks once again for everything. I love and appreciate you all.

In a non-stalkerishly obsessed way.

I promise.

--K


	7. Chapter 7

Konbanwa!

Good evening everyone :D

Argh, I just realized that the border lines that I put in on Word don't show up on the actual fanfic

rawr…

So sorry the transition from my AN's to the actual story are so abrupt… I'll go back through and change them later because right now I'm swamped… Can you say "Winter Fun Pack" for Biology AP? Ew.

I don't even know why I took Bio AP… I don't plan on using it much in my career…

Anyways, enjoy the next chapter! It's not too short, but it's not that long either :P

Sounds like Goldilocks.

I hated her. D:

Hahaha, well here you go!

--K

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"Oi! Naruto! Hinata! What's this about? You guys went to get us _dinner_, not ramen!" Kiba poked inside the paper bags that held the four bowls of ramen. He found the bag that held Akamaru's raw steak. Kiba tossed the steak to his dog, and Akamaru leapt up and caught it. "You got Akamaru a better dinner than the rest of us," he grumbled.

"Why are you complaining, Kiba? You've already eaten dinner," said Shino, impassive as usual.

Hinata didn't respond. She sat down on the floor and began to set up for their meal. Naruto sat across from her and took the ramen bowls out of the bag. More than once their hands brushed, and Hinata felt the blood rising to her cheeks. Finally done setting up, Hinata broke open a pair of wooden chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu," she murmured.

Despite his complaints, Kiba plopped down next to Naruto and grabbed a ramen bowl. Shino sat down as well. Hinata sighed happily.

Naruto scarfed down his bowl of ramen in an instant and sat back, a satisfied grin on his face.

Kiba slurped up his noodles. Kiba glanced up at Hinata and caught her eye. He frowned a moment, then set down his bowl.

"Hey, Hinata? Where'd that flower come from?" Kiba pointed at the white flower tucked behind her ear.

Hinata turned a bright shade of red. "Ano… Well… I –"

"I gave it to her! Look how it matches her eyes," Naruto butted in and pointed at Hinata's eyes. Kiba barked a short laugh.

"Naruto, you're really unique," Kiba shook his head and grinned.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "Unique?! I'm not like Geji-Mayu and his sensei," Naruto said, sulking. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close.

Hinata plucked the flower from behind her ear and placed it in her lap. She reached behind her neck to untie her forehead protector. While the boys argued, she slid the flower into the blue folds of fabric behind her Konoha hitai-ate. Pressing the flower in place, she retied the blue cloth around her neck.

In the back of her mind, she could hear Kiba and Naruto playfully bickering.

This was the last time that she would see Naruto-kun for a while. She didn't want it to end, but she didn't want to have to share that time with the rest of her team.

She didn't have a choice. Hinata turned back to the group and sighed.

"Hm? Hinata? What's wrong?" Naruto suddenly perked up. He had noticed her sigh. Kiba froze, mid-comeback.

Hinata's eyes widened. "What? Oh. Nothing, Naruto-kun," she said as she smiled shyly.

Naruto tipped his head to the side. "C'mon you can tell us, Hinata-chan. Please." Naruto drew out the last word as he leaned forward towards Hinata. Hinata turned bright red.

"I-It's alright Naruto-kun. It's just been a nice vacation. I was sighing because it's nice to finally be able to relax."

Kiba's head swiveled between the two. He frowned and glanced at Shino. Shino simply shrugged at Kiba's reaction.

Naruto sat back and grinned. "Alright, if that's the real reason."

Hinata nodded, and looked away. She hadn't felt right lying to Naruto-kun, but she couldn't show him how she really felt.

_Naruto-kun, you just wouldn't understand. You're so cheerful and untroubled and happy. I'm not going to see you for… who knows how long. I don't know if I can stand that long. _

_And when you finally finish training with Jiraiya-sama, and come back to Konoha, will your new feelings for me be unchanged? Will you still look at me and talk to me and acknowledge me?_

_Or will you have grown tired of me after so long apart? Will you catch sight of Sakura-chan and go back to trying to catch her attention and ignore mine? _

_Will we ever be together? Or will my worries tear us apart?_

" –right, Hinata?"

Hinata's eyes snapped up, and she blinked back her confusion. Naruto was looking at her expectantly. He had asked her a question, but she had no idea what it was.

She nodded and looked back down at her bowl of ramen. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore.

_I can't tell you my doubts, Naruto-kun. I don't doubt you. I doubt myself. Was I really strong enough to tell you the truth? Or will I wake up tomorrow morning in Konoha, and find out that this has all been a dream?_

_I…I can't take this anymore._

Hinata pushed her bowl of ramen at Naruto. "Please, Naruto-kun. Eat it. I… I'm not very hungry right now…"

Hinata sprang up and dashed out of the room, banging the sliding door closed behind her.

Kiba shot a questioning look after his teammate. "What's wrong with her?"

Hinata sprinted down the hotel's hallway, and down a flight of stairs, taking them two at a time. She stumbled as she reached the lobby, but she immediately righted herself.

Hinata burst out of the hotel's doors at full speed. She looked both ways down the street. Nobody was outside. She chose a random direction and dashed through the deserted street.

_What's wrong with you? You're an idiot! Can't you control your emotions, if only for a few minutes?_

Hinata angrily wiped away the tears clouding her vision. As if trying to outrun the voice in her mind, she transferred chakra to her feet and sprang forward with new speed.

_What are you running away from?_

She pelted down the street. The street suddenly stopped, and a forest path came into view. She dashed down the path, her feet quickly thudding against the dirt.

_Why are you so afraid?_

Hinata dodged around a tree growing on the side of the path. She could feel her bare feet beginning to bruise, and her breath came in short gasps.

_Why do you always run away from your problems?_

Suddenly, Hinata tripped. A stray root seemed to spring out of the ground in front of her, and she tumbled head over heels onto the ground.

Angry tears blurred her vision as she picked herself up. However, the voice in her mind didn't care if she was hurt on the outside now as well as on the inside. It still crooned its awful questions. And the worst part was – Hinata knew that it was right.

_If you care so much about Naruto-kun, why are you always running away from him?_

"Because!" Hinata screeched to herself, pulling her knees to her chest, and leaning against another tree on the side of the road. "Because I'm afraid, ok!"

Hinata buried her head in her arms and felt a tear slide down her cheek as a sob choked her.

_What did Naruto tell you?_

"Don't you ever shut up?" Hinata mumbled to herself. She felt melted and achy inside. How could she continue a relationship with Naruto-kun if she ran away every time he started flirting with her? Or every time they ran into a snag in their relationship? Or every time her emotions overwhelmed her, and she just had to get away from it all? Or every time she went insane and began talking to herself.

_What did Naruto tell you?_

"I shouldn't run away when I'm afraid."

"I thought so."

Hinata froze, then snapped her head straight up. Naruto was perched on a branch high above her head. Hinata leapt up and backed away. She looked down and poked her fingers together.

"N-Naruto-kun. How long have you been standing there? How did you find me so fast?"

Naruto leapt down from the tree, and walked over to Hinata. "Not long. And I have my ways."

Hinata looked away. Naruto looked down at her bare feet. "You must've been in a hurry. Why'd you run away?"

Hinata looked down at her tender and bruised feet also. "You wouldn't understand, Naruto-kun. It's just something that I have to deal with alone."

Naruto nodded like he understood. "So I take it that you aren't telling your teammates about it either?"

Hinata shook her head.

Naruto wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "It's ok, Hinata. We don't need them."

Hinata froze. "No… You don't," she said.

She immediately leapt away as she drew a kunai and threw it at Naruto.

Naruto jumped back and dodged the weapon. "Hinata! What are you doing?!"

"You're not really Naruto-kun! Naruto-kun believes in teamwork and helping others. That's why he's so determined to help his friends. He sticks with them no matter what," Hinata scowled at him.

Naruto shook his head at her as if he didn't believe what she was saying. "Sorry, Hinata. I didn't mean –"

Hinata formed the seal with her hands. "Byakugan!"

Naruto's chakra system appeared. Normal.

Naruto turned to face her. "See? I'm me. Everything's normal."

Hinata drew shuriken between each of her fingers. She sent them whirling through the air at Naruto. Naruto managed to dodge them all agilely.

"That's just it. Naruto's chakra system _isn't_ normal! You aren't Naruto!" Hinata crouched to lower her center of gravity.

For an instant, Naruto looked hurt at Hinata's rejection, then his upset expression slowly curled into a smirk.

In a puff of smoke, Naruto vanished, and in his place –

"Kabuto!" Hinata breathed. She didn't want to fight him alone.

She had her teammates to back her up the last time. This time, she was all alone.

"That's right, you brat. Let's see how well you fare on your own," Kabuto sneered at her. He adjusted his glasses and prepared to rush her.

-----------------------

Oh dang!

Cliff hanger:D

Muhahahahaaa!!!

Wow, sorry, really random. My bad. ;P

Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Look forward to the next one,

But after Winter Break…

I'm kind of busy writing another story for my friend's really late Christmas present haha…

--K


	8. Chapter 8

Haha, cliffhanger!

You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the reviews:

I had to reedit this because I want to tweak this upcoming part a bit…

School's back… with a vengeance.

Thanks for keeping up!

--K

Disclaimer for this chapter and the last ones too that I forgot: I don't own Naruto. Just the story plot.

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Hinata took a step back. She hadn't anticipated this. She drew another kunai to try and defend herself.

Kabuto also produced a kunai that glinted cruelly in the moonlight.

_That might just end up in your gut_, a small voice in her head interjected. Hinata shook it off.

_I've changed. I can do this_, she reminded herself.

"I'm afraid that you won't be seeing the real Naruto-kun for quite a while. At least, not where you're going." Kabuto let that hang.

Hinata felt her knees start to tremble. She didn't want to die. Not yet, not with so much awaiting her and Naruto-kun in the future. She took a deep breath. She had to believe in herself and her abilities, or she was a goner for sure. Time to let her attacker know that he had picked on the wrong gennin.

Hinata squared her shoulders and glared at Kabuto. "Don't worry. I'm sure that you'll be going there much sooner than I am."

Kabuto chuckled, and pushed up on the bridge of his gleaming glasses. "Don't be so sure. Orochimaru-sama requested a pair of Hyuuga eyes to study and perhaps help evolve Sasuke-kun's abilities," Kabuto said. "And you certainly can't be alive when we dissect you to obtain information about your family's unique abilities."

"My Byakugan!" Hinata whispered. She shook off the impending chill that threatened to freeze her to the ground. Kabuto intended to kill her and hand her body over to Orochimaru so that he could analyze her kekkei genkai – the Hyuuga Byakugan – and maybe find some way to enhance Sasuke-kun's Sharingan. And since the Hyuuga and Uchiha lines were connected in the distant past, Orochimaru might actually succeed in unearthing a valuable piece of information, thus helping Sasuke – and ultimately Orochimaru himself.

_Now this no longer concerns only me. If I fight him and fail, it's not only my own life that hangs in the balance. I must protect my life in order to save the future lives of others,_ Hinata thought. She frowned and tightened her hold on the kunai.

_The best thing to do would be to retreat. What did Naruto-kun say earlier? Kabuto was Orochimaru's subordinate? Orochimaru wouldn't let just any shinobi train under him. Kabuto must have some sort of hidden ability. Even with all of my improvements, I still can't fight him alone. _

_It's not that I'm too weak or too much of a coward to fight him. And it's that not that I don't believe in myself. _

_It's that I'm not too arrogant or stupid to notice that I'm in no condition to fight a shinobi of his stature. I'm not running away because I'm a coward. It's because I'm smart_, Hinata nodded to herself. She wasn't trying to delude herself. It was a harsh reality that she couldn't fight Kabuto with such high stakes.

_Besides, what did Kurenai-sensei used to say? A shinobi needs not only to be strong, but also to be wise. I can show my strength by outsmarting him. I don't need to fight._

_A shinobi needs not only to be fearless, but also know how to pick his – or her – fights. _

_And this will not be one of mine._

"Any final words?" Kabuto straightened his glasses once more.

Hinata straightened her shoulders. "Just one."

Suddenly, she hurled the kunai at Kabuto. "Catch!"

Kabuto easily dodged the weapon. "As expected of a lowly gen –"

An explosion of black smoke erupted from the ground. _Smoke pellet_, Kabuto thought. _More stupid gennin tricks. What an obvious diversion._

"Jyuuken!" Hinata burst out of the smoke, palm aimed directly for Kabuto's chest.

Kabuto side-stepped her easily. Hinata struck out at him again, palm open. Kabuto could see a faint wisp of chakra trailing after her hand. Hinata made a forcible contact with his stomach and grinned.

But suddenly a puff of gray smoke surrounded Hinata completely, and a rotten log replaced Kabuto.

Hinata reappeared on the far side of the path.

The attack was so fast, Hinata seemed not to sense it, even with her Byakugan.

Kabuto swooped down on her from above, and in two fluid motions, he cut across her windpipe and her chest with kunai in both hands.

_Definitely fatal_, Kabuto sneered. Hinata didn't even have time to touch the ground. Immediately landing on the dirt path, Kabuto kicked out sideways at Hinata's falling form.

Hinata flew backwards from the impact, and Kabuto thought that he saw a plume of gray obscure her from view. But then again, the dim moonlight and dark smoke had reduced visibility to a near impossibility.

But Hinata quickly reappeared and bounced twice across the dirt path before colliding with a tree on the side of the road. Again, Kabuto almost swore that he saw a streak of gray intermingled with the dissolving black pellet smoke. But once again, the gray vanished. Kabuto shook his head. When he got back to the Sound base, he would have to check his glasses for scratches.

Hinata lay against the tree; her head slumped onto her chest. Kabuto could make out the slice in her hoodie where he had cut her. A telltale puddle of blood was forming in her lap, dripping from the cut across her throat. He smirked sadistically.

Kabuto walked up to Hinata's fallen form as the last of the smoke from the pellet dissipated. Hinata didn't move.

"Poor Naruto-kun. He probably never got to say good-bye," Kabuto murmured mockingly. He drew another kunai, and prepared to deliver the deathblow. Between the tree and Hinata's bowed head, a patch of pale skin on her neck glowed faintly in the moonlight. Kabuto gripped the kunai tighter and set his aim for the base of her neck.

With a grunt, Kabuto drove the kunai downward and watched as the tip entered the back of Hinata's neck – and kept going.

Suddenly, Kabuto's kunai sliced through air as Hinata vanished in a puff of gray.

Kabuto took a step back. "A bunshin!"

Hinata transferred more chakra to her feet, and she fled along the pathway. _The faster I get away and back to the village, the better,_ she thought. Suddenly, she felt the chakra ties with her last bunshin snap.

_Oh no. He finished off all four already?_ Hinata thought as she dashed down the pathway back to the village. _He'll realize now that they were all just regular bunshin, and I simply sent them in one at a time to look like it was a simple attack instead of a diversion. And now –_ Hinata felt her blood freeze. _Now, he'll come after me._

She transferred as much chakra to her feet as she dared, and continued down the path. Hinata had to choose between saving chakra for a possible battle with Kabuto, or expending it to speed her retreat. If she used chakra to run away, there was a less chance of her having to battle Kabuto. Then again he might have caught up to her no matter what, so using chakra to run away was pointless.

Hinata grimaced. In either scenario, she was in no condition to fight Kabuto. But at least if she was closer to the village, there was a better chance of someone coming to her aid more quickly. She shook off the fear settling in the pit of her stomach, and continued to run.

_How much longer until I reach the village? I couldn't have ran that far aw –_

Suddenly, a scattering of shuriken whirled through the air, aimed for her chest. Hinata leapt away an instant before they tore open her body. She skidded to a stop across the dirt pathway, raising a trail of dust from her feet. She straightened and faced Kabuto who materialized, blocking her path back to the village.

"I must compliment you on your evasion and your well-planned distraction," said Kabuto, shaking his head pityingly. "But in a moment, " he formed an intricate set of hand seals, "it's not going to matter."

Hinata relaxed her tense muscles and gathered the correct amount of chakra. "Say what you want. This time, I'm not going to go without a fight. And that's a promise." She struck her hands together to form a seal. "Byakugan!"

Through her Byakugan, Hinata could see Kabuto's hands begin glowing blue with concentrated chakra. Hinata noticed that he concentrated his chakra into a sharp edge, almost like a knife, but much more deadly. It was the same kind of chakra that he had used to damage her before when she had come to defend Naruto-kun. And as before, she noted it as the same jutsu that Tsunade-sama used while performing operations. So this jutsu formed chakra into a sort of medical knife – a scalpel.

With a shout, Kabuto rushed her.

Hinata put up her hands in perfect Jyuuken form to defend herself.

Kabuto slashed sideways across her body with the chakra scalpel. Hinata barely dodged the attack and leapt sideways. Kabuto followed up his attack with his other hand.

Hinata leapt away again, once more scarcely evading his attacks.

Kabuto sliced at her again, aiming for her neck. Hinata ducked under his hand and blocked his other hand aimed for her gut. She pushed off of him, and flipped backwards, landing a few yards away.

Kabuto scowled at her, and she once more set her Jyuuken stance – one palm facing him for deflecting attacks and her other hand at her side waiting for a chance to counterattack. Hinata almost grinned. Those intense practice sessions with Neji-nii-san were finally paying off.

Kabuto noted her raised spirits and shook his head. "Don't think that this is the limit of my abilities. I have more strength than you could ever imagine."

He sprinted towards her, and swiped at her once more with his chakra scalpel. But his blocking hand was too slow.

Hinata saw the opening and took it. "Jyuuken!"

She smashed her palm against Kabuto's side. Upon contact, time seemed to freeze.

Hinata drove her chakra into Kabuto's system, focusing her Byakugan to direct her chakra. But then she felt a pressure on her own stomach. She shifted to another layer of Byakugan, and to her horror found Kabuto's glowing blue hand pushing against her abdomen.

Time came crashing back and a pulse of blue chakra sent her flying backwards. Hinata crashed into a tree a few yards away.

Hinata tried to shake the impending black dots from her vision, but her head wouldn't move. Instead, her right foot batted back and forth. Through her Byakugan, Hinata could see that her chakra pathway was disrupted and a new electrical current sparked across her nerves every time she tried to move a different body part.

Hinata heard Kabuto approach.

"Do you like that jutsu? I looked it up after your Hokage immobilized me with it. It disrupts the neurological messages to your brain. Every time you try to move one of your body parts, a completely different one will respond."

Hinata could almost hear the smirk evident in Kabuto's voice.

Kabuto continued, "You were too confident. I let you see an opening in my defenses, and I knew that you'd take the opportunity to try and attack me. But I had this jutsu prepared for you. You're too confident in your own abilities – or should I say lack of abilities."

Hinata wasn't listening. She tried tipping her right foot up, and noted that she was able to raise her head. While Kabuto continued to rant about her lack of capabilities, Hinata moved each of her body parts in turn.

_Alright, now I understand the right side of my body. So my left foot moves my right forearm. And vice versa…_

Suddenly, Hinata heard the sharp ring of metal as Kabuto wound down and drew a kunai. "And your incompetence on the battlefield led to your downfall. And now, you will die." Kabuto raised the kunai once more over Hinata's fallen form.

Hinata watched its descent and at the last moment, tried kicking out with her left foot, causing her right forearm to push off the ground and roll her over. Hinata heard the kunai strike the tree bark behind her head.

"Hold still. There's no use in trying to delay the inevitable. You should just give up," Kabuto snarled.

Hinata twitched her right foot upwards to tilt her head back and glare at Kabuto. With painstaking care, she moved each corresponding body part to move her lips and speak. "I-I said that I'm not going to go w-without a fight, and I will never t-take back my words. That's my Nindo."

"Good for you, Hinata-chan! You're sticking to your Nindo like you're supposed to." A loud voice resounded from across the road. Hinata didn't have to tip her right foot any farther. She would know that voice anywhere.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelped.

The orange-clad ninja stood in the middle of the road with his fists poised dramatically on his hips. "The hero always enters late, ne? Hinata-chan?"

"Well, this time, you're too late, Naruto-kun," mocked Kabuto. He quickly adjusted his grip on the kunai and plunged it downwards. Hinata's eyes widened. She could tell that even if she tried rolling out of the way again, she would still be impaled. Either way – whether she tried to fight or not – she would die.

Suddenly, another Naruto leapt from above in the tree, tackling Kabuto before his kunai could graze Hinata's skin. Kabuto toppled over, but slashed at Naruto with the kunai.

Naruto disappeared in a plume of gray.

Kabuto scowled. "More bunshin? How irritating."

Several more Narutos fanned out and surrounded Kabuto. "Yeah, but they're kage bunshin, now," they echoed.

Through her Byakugan, Hinata could see that each bunshin had its own chakra system. _It's really Naruto-kun this time!_ she thought, her heart skipping a beat.

Kabuto drew another kunai and crouched lower. "We've been through this before, Naruto-kun. You cannot defeat me."

"That's what everyone says." The kage bunshin drew kunai also.

"Then I will be the one to prove it," Kabuto sneered. The kage bunshin closed in with collective shout.

Hinata watched as Kabuto stabbed and slashed his way through two Naruto clones that disappeared in twin clouds of gray.

Suddenly a hand clasped firmly over her mouth. Hinata started to struggle, but a low voice murmured in her ear, "Hinata, it's the real me. C'mon. We have to get you outta here. Can you walk?"

Hinata wagged her foot back and forth to shake her head no, and the hand was removed. Naruto's strong arms cradled her body as he picked her up and leapt away through the woods towards the village.

-----

The End :D

JOUDAN JOUDAN! Jkjk!

Please don't kill me xD haha…hah…

Yeah, nobody probably laughed.

Hah…

Everybody got that part where Hinata disappeared and reappeared every time she was hit, right? Like the bunshin replaced each other. Oh dear. I hope people got that xD

Well thanks for the reviews! It really does keep me posting stuff :D I know how everybody says that, but I really mean it. haha

And I'm going to do the shameless self-advertising thing:

**Trapped in Reality **

Sakura has always felt out of place in California, as if she does not belong there. But when she is convicted of a crime she did not commit, Sakura finds her dreams haunted by a boy who longs to bring her back into his world, even if it means tearing her from reality as she knows it. Even when her life's at its lowest, will she be willing to take a chance and trust the love of her life that she never knew? SasuSaku.

--K


	9. Chapter 9

Hey all!

Thanks so much for the reviews :D You guys rock!

You know how authors are always asking and begging and pleading for reviews…?

Well, you all know that I'm not like that.

But I really, really want to be. xD hahaha I can understand – really, truly understand – why people do that. I mean I check my Stats page every time I go online, and every time I see a higher number of reviews or even hits than before I smile and my heart does a flipflop of joy. Yay.

But I don't ASK for reviews because (even though I love getting them hahaha…hah…) I'm really prideful, and I seriously don't feel like begging for reviews… Or even asking nicely. Haha…

But sometimes I wonder if the authors who do beg in these AN's and even (shamefully) their summaries get any more reviews than the people like me who think the story should bring in reviews all by itself… Sorry if I offended anyone with that. I just wanted to get that out of my system. Haha…

Well, DISCLAIMER! As you all know… I'm not a genius like Kishimoto Masashi, so guess what? I don't own a multi-billion dollar idea like Naruto.

Too bad for me…

Thanks again!

--K

------------

"N-Naruto-kun p-please put m-me down," Hinata tugged at Naruto's jacket, this time without having to move her pinkie toe instead of her actual hand. Her stutter was more pronounced than before, but she could move her lips more easily to speak now. Kabuto's jutsu seemed to be wearing off.

Naruto nodded and leapt down from the tree branch to the ground. Tenderly, he placed Hinata on her own two feet and caught her when she stumbled slightly.

Hinata blushed, despite their circumstance. "Th-thank you, Naruto-kun for saving me."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "No problem, Hinata. But before you finish thanking me, maybe we should get back to the village first. There's still a chance that Kabuto can catch us."

Hinata nodded. "Let's go then. We can't be too far away." She took a step forward and flinched as her bare foot met sharp sticks and stones.

"Alright. Let's go," said Naruto as he sprinted forward. Hinata sucked in a breath and ran after him. Naruto knew that they'd never make it back to the village if they wasted their chakra running. They had to keep a reserve of chakra in case Kabuto had managed to defeat all the kage bunshin and came after them.

"C'mon Hinata. I thought I saw the bathhouse through the woods over there," Naruto pointed as he ran. He ducked to avoid running into a branch.

Suddenly, a kunai whirred through the air and buried itself in the tree where Naruto's head had been a moment earlier. Naruto leapt away and back, glancing about him wildly for Kabuto.

Hinata ran up to Naruto. He nodded to her. She formed the appropriate seal. "Byakugan!"

Before she could focus through the layers to search for Kabuto, she saw a kunai whining directly for her and Naruto. "Naruto-kun! Look out!" Hinata pushed Naruto out of the way, and tried to leap out of the kunai's trajectory.

But she couldn't move fast enough.

The kunai skimmed her upper arm, ripping through her sweater and drawing blood.

"Hinata!" Naruto was beside her in a moment. "Are you ok?"

She grimaced and clutched her arm. Her fingers began turning red as blood seeped through her jacket.

Naruto quickly tore a thin strip of fabirc off the hem of his jacket and wrapped it tightly around Hinata's arm.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to get rid of him," Naruto's gaze sifted through the trees overhead. He turned in a full circle. "Kabuto, you coward! Come out and fight!"

"Gladly," suddenly, Kabuto materialized in front of the two genin. His glasses glinted wickedly, reflecting what little light the forest had to offer. "Unlike your Hyuuga friend, here, I prefer to face my enemy head on. Not dapple in useless tricks and amateur jutsus."

Naruto's brow darkened.

"You bastard. Don't you dare say anything about Hinata," Naruto growled between clenched teeth. "She could whip your ass before you could even blink. Don't underestimate her."

Hinata's eyes widened. _Naruto-kun really believes in me. He thinks that I could take on Kabuto and win. He has faith in me. He doesn't think that I'm weak and useless. Arigatou, Naruto-kun._

Kabuto's harsh voice broke through her thoughts. "Well if she could have beat me before, why hasn't she yet?" he taunted.

A shadow passed over Naruto's face. "Hinata," he growled. "Go hide. I'm going to make this bastard pay for what he did to you."

Hinata hesitated slightly before nodding. Naruto's gaze didn't faze from Kabuto. Hinata stumbled to her feet and began to back away. She hesitated again.

Abruptly she changed direction and ran to stand next to Naruto.

"Hinata! Go hide!"

"Naruto-kun. I'm sick of hiding. Remember, you told me to never be afraid. And to never run away," Hinata raised her hands, ready for Jyuken, and did not wince when she moved her injured arm.

Naruto leaned down quickly, and Hinata felt his lips brush against her cheek. "Very good, Hinata. I never expected any less from you."

"How touching," sneered Kabuto. "Maybe you two will finally be able to be together in the next life." His hands began forming a series of hand seals.

Hinata activated her Byakugan. Kabuto's chakra system appeared. He had somehow healed the chakra points that she had blocked earlier. Hinata frowned. The only way that she would be able to bring him down would be to stop all of his chakra points at once. Good thing that Neji-nii-san had finally taught–

"Die!" shouted Kabuto as he leapt forward, slashing with his chakra-scalpel hands. Naruto and Hinata jumped away.

"Look out, Naruto-kun. He uses his chakra like a knife," warned Hinata. She dodged another blow from Kabuto. Naruto nodded.

"I know. I've fought him before."

"But, Naruto-kun, you didn't know that I had this jutsu," Kabuto performed another string of seals.

He turned suddenly and leapt at Hinata. Hinata recognized it as the same formation of chakra as before when he had interfered with her body functions.

She dodged away, ducking, then gliding to the right, then left. Kabuto followed her movements with uncanny precision. Suddenly, he found a weakness in her defenses, and thrust forwards, aiming for her chest. Hinata tried to back up, but tripped over a tree root.

She reeled backwards, and Kabuto's hand passed over her head.

Kabuto raised his hand again to perform a finishing strike, but suddenly, a blur of orange and black knocked him over.

Naruto pushed off Kabuto's body and flipped through the air, landing in a crouch. Kabuto didn't fall, but performed a back handspring and landed on his feet.

Naruto began to stand up. "Stop picking on Hinata, you –" suddenly, Naruto toppled over and lay helplessly splayed on the ground.

Kabuto pushed on the bridge of his glasses. "Looks like you came in contact with my hands after all. That's the jutsu that your Tsunade-sama used on me in our last fight. Quite the annoyance, but it also comes in handy. Like now. Your brain won't respond accordingly to your body functions."

Kabuto turned back to Hinata. She glared back at him. "How dare you use that on Naruto-kun!"

"Don't worry my dear little Hyuuga," Kabuto smirked at her distress. "you're next."

----------

Haha… Another cliff hanger…

Did you guys ACTUALLY think that I'd let you off? ;D hahahaha…..

Jkjk.

Well, I decided to take pity on you all and post this…

I know that dealing with cliff hangers is never fun.

I'm guilty of reading only completed fan fictions, even though I've read some REALLY GOOD WIP ones… The suspense and sense of longing for completion and sweet peace kills me inside and I can't concentrate in school… (Hahah, yeah, my friends tell me all the time that I'm weird.)

But I'm glad that you all don't feel like I do because then I wouldn't be getting so many hits and I wouldn't have so much support now. :D

So thanks for being more patient than I am, all of you.

You guys rock.

--K


	10. Chapter 10

Konnichiwa!

Yes, I haven't updated in forever…

I apologize…but…

FINALS ARE OVER:DDDDDD

Ureshiiiiiiiiii!!!!!

Yuppers, well thanks for the support as always!

--K

---------

Hinata edged over to Naruto who lay helplessly splayed on the ground. She never took her eyes off Kabuto.

"Do you mind?" Hinata asked. She crouched slightly behind Naruto and motioned towards his shoes.

In her haste to leave the hotel so long ago, she had forgotten her shoes, and now her bruised and bloody feet were paying the price. If she was going to fight Kabuto, she needed something to protect her feet.

Naruto's leg twitched to the side.

"I'll take that as a no," Hinata slipped Naruto's shoes off his feet and onto her own. They didn't fit perfectly, but they would have to do.

Hinata hesitated by Naruto. Then she placed a light kiss on his cheek.

She hung her head for a moment, and then she stood to face Kabuto.

Hinata tried breathing deeply. If she couldn't beat Kabuto, then both Naruto's life and her own were forfeit. Not to mention the lives of countless others who would undoubtedly fall to Sasuke's improved Sharingan if Kabuto managed to hand her Hyuuga Byakugan over to Orochimaru.

So many lives hinged on her success in this battle. And she couldn't simply block a few of his chakra points and hope that he fainted. Somehow, Kabuto managed to heal his tenketsu. He was a medic nin; he probably used some sort of jutsu to heal himself. To bring him down, Hinata needed to block all of his chakra points at once. Luckily, Neji had taught her one of the most effective of Hyuuga jutsus. The only person that it had ever failed against was the mortal container of the Kyuubi demon. It's kind of hard to beat that.

In her last sparring round against Neji, he had taught her the legendary Hakke RokuJyuYonShou: a jutsu that sealed all 361 of her opponent's chakra points almost simultaneously with just 64 strikes.

However, Neji had also warned her to use it as a last resort because the famed jutsu not only used a great deal of chakra, but only tended to work against a severely injured opponent. Hinata didn't know if she could last that long against Kabuto. But she would have to try.

Running away wasn't an option anymore. Not with Naruto-kun near paralyzed and her too weakened to carry over twice her own body weight.

Besides, she had promised Naruto-kun that she wouldn't run away.

Hinata settled into a comfortable fighting stance.

When Kabuto realized her decision to fight, he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and shook his head pityingly.

"Why don't you just run? Leave Naruto-kun behind?" Kabuto taunted her. "There's nothing you can do for him. Why not just save yourself? You can't possibly defeat me."

"You're wrong," Hinata was shocked at her steely and defiant tone. "I will fight you... And I will win."

Faced with her calm confidence, Kabuto's easily dwindled away.

"Ignorant brat," he snapped and scowled. His body tensed. Then as suddenly as he lost it, Kabuto regained control.

His shoulders relaxed and he chuckled mirthlessly to himself. "For your defiance, perhaps I should capture you alive and send you to Sasuke-kun as a plaything. He gets quite lonely for female companionship at Orochimaru's hideout. And I'm sure that Sasuke-kun would like a successor - especially one who possesses both the Uchiha Sharingan and the Hyuuga Byakugan."

Kabuto let that hang. Horrified, Hinata sucked in a sharp breath. Her solidity left her, and she nearly collapsed.

A sickening scene ran through her mind: she was dragged by her hair into a pitch black room, and the door was locked behind her. Suddenly, menacing red Sharingan eyes pierced the darkness. They came closer and closer. And no one could hear her scream.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata noticed Naruto's limbs thrashing against the ground. Even in his disabled state, Naruto-kun wanted to make Kabuto pay for his obscene suggestions. Naruto's fury triggered her own.

Hinata turned back to Kabuto and smiled grimly. "In that case, I guess I have no other choice but to defeat you."

Before Kabuto could respond, Hinata slapped her hands together in a seal. "Byakugan!"

Kabuto vanished.

He had moved quickly - faster than a normal human eye could follow, but through her Byakugan, Hinata watched Kabuto leap into a tree to her left.

Transferring chakra to her feet, Hinata was behind him in a flash, bounding between two trees.

A showering of shuriken thickened the air and honed in on her immediately. Hinata flipped backwards behind a third tree. A split second later, over half a dozen shuriken struck the tree with dull thumps.

Hinata landed on a tree branch out of Kabuto's range, her back to the trunk. She panted slightly and her pulse raced.

Kabuto's behavior was strange. Hinata knew that he was a close-ranged attacker like herself. He needed to be close to his enemy in order to do damage because he lacked long-range jutsus to attack from afar. He was up to something, Hinata was sure of it. She needed to stop him before he could execute his plan.

Through her Byakugan, Hinata could see Kabuto crouching on a high tree branch to her far left, almost behind her. But something was wrong.

Kabuto's arms dangled from their sockets, and his mouth was a gaping open hole. His glasses were gone, and his eyes were tinged red at the edges.

Surprised, Hinata sucked in a short gasp.

Suddenly, Kabuto's head snapped to his right, and his red-rimmed eyes locked directly onto Hinata's tree.

Digging her fingernails into the tree's bark in her fear, Hinata shifted her Byakugan to focus on Kabuto's chakra system.

His chakra pathways blazed with bright blue chakra, forming in clumps, mostly around his sensory areas. From previous experience with Kiba, Hinata knew that this certain formation of chakra heightened the senses.

Slowly, Hinata placed one foot in front of the other, creeping around the other side of the tree. She couldn't see Kabuto very well because he was near her Byakugan's blind spot. She would have to move fast, but not give away her intentions. She reached the edge of the branch, and prepared to jump down.

Kabuto would have less of a chance to attack her from below if she was on the ground. She would play the defensive until she could learn the extent of his powers.

Hinata shifted her gaze to move her blind spot and check that Kabuto had remained where he had been before.

He was gone.

Suddenly, a solid foot connected with her stomach, and a firm hand pressed for a moment over her eyes. Hinata had no time to block it. She flew backwards over the side of the branch. Her chakra formation shattered and she felt her Byakugan slip away.

The free fall tugged at her innards, but Hinata managed to catch onto a branch before colliding with the ground. Stomach aching and limbs shaking with fear, Hinata hoisted herself onto the branch.

"How pathetic. Your Byakugan couldn't even see that coming?" Kabuto's voice seemed to echo from everywhere at once. It's harsh tones grated Hinata's ears.

Hinata whirled around in a circle, trying to locate the source. Kabuto chuckled at her confusion. "There's no hope for you. Pathetic Byakugan user."

"I'll show you what my Byakugan can really do!" Hinata shouted, forming the familiar seal with her hands. "Byakugan!"

Hinata's vision didn't shift into the usual layers of Byakugan. Chakra sources didn't illuminate a black and white background. Different layers of vision didn't appear before her, and she couldn't transfer between them. She couldn't see through the tree in front of her, nor could she see the attack coming from behind her.

But this time, she could hear it.

In a flash of metal, Hinata drew a kunai and blocked the attacking kunai on a whining trajectory towards her neck.

"Without your Byakugan, you seem to get better," Hinata heard Kabuto muse.

"Why can't I use my Byakugan?" Hinata called out in desperation. She tightened her grip on her kunai. "What did you do to me?"

"Pathetic Hyuuga. You don't even know your true weakness," Kabuto's voice echoed through the trees.

"I know about my weaknesses," replied Hinata curtly. She would not speak about her Byakugan's blind spot aloud. Her family's honor rested on the fact that few outside of the Hyuuga clan knew about their Byakugan's weakness. And she would not be the one to reveal that information to the enemy - especially not-

"Orochimaru-sama has already informed me about your Byakugan's blind spot. However, that was not what I was referring to," Kabuto said. Hinata was shocked into silence. "A simple-minded child like yourself could never understand."

Suddenly Hinata heard a foot crunch on tree bark behind her. She whirled around to face Kabuto.

When she saw him, she gasped, and took a step back.

Kabuto had transformed into a monster.

With leering yellow fangs and now fully red eyes, Kabuto reached out at her throat with cruel, serrated claws.

And Hinata couldn't move at all.

---------

Haha! Cliffie:D

Thanks to all for the reviews, and btw I enabled Anonymous reviews, so yeah… But please, if you actually respect me and what I'm writing here, don't flame just because you get to be anonymous.

000o0o0o0o0ohhh!!!! Scary anonymity!! O0o0o0o0ohhhh!!!!

The mystery! O0o0o0o0hhh!!

Ok, just please, no.

I mean I accept flames if you think what I'm writing sucks, but other than that, don't flame just to flame.

Because that's lame and you probably suck. :D

Haha, jkjk… Unless it's true.

O.O!

Haha! Thanks for reading! ;D

--K


	11. Chapter 11

As awesome as her "new" jutsu is, I cant include Hinata's cool jutsu in my fanfic because gasp It's not canon… Yup.

So that's why she doesn't have it here. Otherwise… This fight would've gone much better for her. :D

--K

---------

Hinata was frozen in petrifying fear.

Kabuto leered at her with razor-sharp fangs, eyes casting a cruel red glow in the dim lighting.

_Move you idiot!_ hissed a voice inside of Hinata's head. _Move unless you want to die!_

Shaken from her terrified trance, Hinata staggered backwards a step. Kabuto continued to advance slowly, enjoying her terror. He stretched his arm towards her neck, pushing Hinata back.

Hinata took another shaken step backwards. For a moment, she felt her foot connect with the tree branch. Then suddenly, her foot slipped sideways inside of her shoe.

She tumbled backwards, white eyes frozen wide. With a loud thud, she collided with the tree trunk and tried to rapidly blink away the bright lights dancing in her head.

She could feel the empty room in her shoes - Naruto's shoes. His shoes had been too big to start with, and now they had caused her to stumble. An accident that might prove fatal.

Hinata tried to swallow, but felt a heavy lump catch in her throat. She heard Kabuto snicker. He sounded much closer than before.

Hinata slowly lifted her head to face him.

Kabuto hovered directly above her, talons poised to grab her throat. He sneered down at her.

"Pathetic," he spat at her face. And he lunged for her jugular.

She scrabbled backwards madly, her fingers tearing up bark in her effort to get away.

But he caught her.

His sharp claws encircled her neck, and he pulled her up and ruthlessly slammed her against the tree.

Sharp stars exploded behind Hinata's eyes as pain shot through her body. She tugged at his hand, but to no avail. Kabuto didn't lessen his grip, yet to Hinata, it almost seemed as if he was allowing her a minute amount of air. He wasn't ready to finish her off just yet. He wanted to toy with her first.

Kabuto grinned wickedly at her weakening struggles. "Gaki," he purred. Hinata watched as a smirk widened on his face. "Don't you know that you were doomed to fail from the start?"

"I... will... never...fail... My Nind…o- " Hinata managed to gasp. Spent, she tried to banish her lightheadedness.

"Baka!" Kabuto snapped in annoyance. "You were doomed to fail because I know your precious Byakugan's TRUE weakness."

"No... weaknes- eck!" Hinata felt Kabuto's grip on her throat tighten.

Kabuto sneered at her ignorance. "How were you ever supposed to succeed your father if you are so incredibly stupid? The Hyuuga have more than one weakness. The Byakugan isn't as invincible as your family would like everyone to believe."

Hinata stopped struggling.

"Oh, yes, the Byakugan's blindspot is mentioned in several ancient texts. You just have to know which ones to look in. However..." Kabuto's smirk widened. "The Byakugan has more than one weakness."

"Lies," Hinata began struggling again.

"I foresaw your denial; however, this weakness that I speak of is not always apparent to the Byakugan's user."

Hinata ceased her struggle once more.

"I learned this through careful observation and research. I'm not even sure if anyone else knows of it. But I can assure you, my dear little Hyuuga," Kabuto tossed her a haughty glance, "That this weakness is more crippling than a blind spot.

"There are jutsus that require short bursts of a sizeable quantity of chakra - like your Godaime's super strength or Naruto-kun's Rasengan. But there are other jutsus that require a constant amount of chakra, if only in a small stream-"

Hinata's eyes widened. _Like my Byakugan..._

Kabuto continued. "If these constant jutsus don't get enough chakra, certain parts of the jutsu begin to fade away until the component fails altogether. Not the entire jutsu, perhaps, but just bits and pieces of it begin to fail when the user starts running out of chakra."

Kabuto finished his lecture and leered down at her. In his other hand, he brandished a kunai. Tightening his grip on her throat, he murmured mockingly, "Guess which part of your Bykugan fails first?"

Hinata felt the world grow dim and fuzzy; her thoughts swirled around uselessly in her mind. Which part? Which part?

Hinata fought against the ten-ton weights pressing on her eyelids. _Don't faint!_

Her mouth formed words, but she lacked the air to voice them. _I'm sorry. Naruto-kun._

Her eyes closed, and her world was dark. In flashes of brilliant light, she saw her life fly backwards before her eyes.

The flower. Naruto-kun's kiss. Training with Shino-kun and Kiba-kun. Kurenai-sensei disappearing in a whirl of pink petals. Neji-nii-san trying to stare her down at the Chuunin exam. Her father telling Kurenai-sensei to take her because he had no use for her. Kurenai-sensei first introducing herself.

Kurenai-sensei! The pink petals!

As Hinata fought pain and unconsciousness to put her thoughts back on track, she felt Kabuto's kunai resting heavily against her throat. Using little less than inhuman strength, she brought her hands up and together over Kabuto's arm, and formed the familiar hand sign.

"No!" Kabuto hissed. The kunai at her throat pressed harder, and Hinata could almost feel it breaking her skin.

Forming what little chakra that she couldn't feel but knew that she had, Hinata pressed her hands together firmly. "The part that fails... is my ability to see through genjutsu!" And she scattered her own chakra.

"Kai!"

"NO-!" Kabuto's monstrous image faded, and Hinata felt his fingers and kunai disappear.

Hinata opened her eyes, and overcome with exhaustion, her body slumped against the tree trunk.

"Very good, Hinata-san," Kabuto said. Hinata's eyes darted around the forest trying to find the voice's true source.

The apparition that Kabuto had conjured from the genjutsu hadn't really been Kabuto, but just something to explain the sensation of choking that she had felt as Kabuto manipulated her nervous system.

"You obviously don't know who my sensei is," Hinata replied only to make Kabuto speak again. "Yuuhi Kurenai."

"An established genjutsu user, if I'm not mistaken," Kabuto said. Hinata closed her eyes to focus. His voice was coming from below. "Which I'm not," Kabuto added.

Hinata nodded to herself. Definitely from below. She dared not use her Byakugan. She still needed enough chakra to perform Hakke RokuJyuYonShou.

"But..." Kabuto continued. "You were mistaken."

"What-"

Then Hinata looked down. Kabuto stood over Naruto, a kunai to his throat. Apparently, Kabuto's jutsu hadn't worn off on Naurto who spasmodically kicked out at Kabuto. Kabuto easily dodged.

"You true weakness as a shinobi and as a Hyuuga isn't your Byakugan's failings. It's your own."

Hinata's eyes widened.

"Naruto-kun is your real weakness. In your effort to please and protect him by staying and fighting, you have spelled his doom. Because of you, he is nearly paralyzed and open to attack. You assumed that you were my target, not him. I know what I told you, but a ninja must see through deception. Thus, Naruto-kun will die for your stupidity."

"Naruto-kun! No! But why?"

Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose and blocked a messy punch from Naruto. "Orochimaru-sama ordered me to assassinate Naruto-kun to prevent him from falling into the hands of Akatsuki."

Hinata sucked in a sharp breath. She couldn't risk throwing a kunai at Kabuto in her current state; she might hit Naruto-kun.

So it was a good thing that she had predicted this move.

"Now Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted.

Instantly, a dozen Naruto's materialized out of the trees and grabbed Kabuto, effectively holding him in place.

Wide-eyed at the sudden turn of events, Kabuto struggled against the surprise attack. But to no avail.

Naruto's eyes glinted a fiery red as slitted pupils seemed to mock Kabuto's helplessness. The whisker marks on his cheeks stood ragged against his skin. He growled, "Teme! Now you're going to pay for hurting Hinata."

Agilely, Hinata leapt off her branch and approached Kabuto.

"Filthy bitch! How did you know?" Kabuto snapped at her.

Hinata smiled slightly. "You were fighting him when I first found you two. You could have easily located me if I was your target, not him. Plus, in every fight you kept trying to make me run away and desert Naruto-kun."

_"Why don't you just run? Leave Naruto-kun behind?" Kabuto taunted her. "There's nothing you can do for him. Why not just save yourself? You can't possibly defeat me."_

Hinata shook her head to clear away the memory and continued. "You helped me realize that you were using genjutsu when you were bragging. Before you cast it, I noticed that your senses were heightened. The chakra was forming around your sensory areas. It was the exact same formation of chakra that Kurenai-sensei uses when she and Kiba-kun are sparring. Her chakra clumps around the senses to keep herself attuned to reality and not become too obsessed with the genjutsu that she's placing on Kiba-kun; thus becoming less vulnerable to attack from another person."

Hinata smiled again and formed the seal for Byakugan. She lowered her center of gravity and put her hands in perfect Jyuken form. She closed her eyes and focused what little chakra she had left.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open, the veins on the sides of her forehead stood out. "Jyukenhou, Hakke Roku Jyu Yon Shou!"

In her mind's eye she could see a series of glowing green circles illuminating the ground below her feet. One by one, Naruto's kage bunshin disappeared in individual plumes of gray smoke. Finally Kabuto was left alone, petrified in fear.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Kabuto seemed frozen in place.

"Two strikes!" Hinata used her two fingers to push her chakra into Kabuto's system, envisioning all the chakra points that Neji-nii-san had showed her. Kabuto shuddered under the blows.

"Four strikes!"

"Eight!"

"Sixteen!" Hinata's hands moved faster than normal eye could see. Little bursts of chakra forced themselves through Kabuto's body and out the other side.

"Thirty-two!"

"Sixty-four strikes!" Hinata finished off the move, the last strike to the heart.

Kabuto's damaged body flew back and into a tree. Leaves fluttered down, shaken from their posts in the canopy.

Kabuto's head lolled onto his chest, and his body went limp.

Hinata sighed. It was finally over.

A sudden weariness claimed her, and her knees buckled. She felt a gentle pair of hands catch her.

"Good job Hinata-chan. I'm glad I trusted your plan."

_"I'll take that as a no," Hinata slipped Naruto's shoes off his feet and onto her own. They didn't fit perfectly, but they would have to do._

_Hinata hesitated by Naruto. Then she placed a light kiss on his cheek._

_"Stick to the plan, ne? Naruto-kun?" she whispered in his ear._

_"The trap will work, I know it," he replied._

_She hung her head for a moment, and then she stood to face Kabuto._

"Oi! Hinata! Naruto!" Hinata's head snapped up. A welcome sight greeted her.

"Shino-kun! Kiba-kun!" Hinata smiled. _Oh well... Better late than never._

Kiba landed in the clearing followed shortly by Shino and Akamaru. "Are you alright?" Kiba asked. Then he spotted Kabuto's unconscious form. "Kusso! What the hell?!"

Naruto excitedly explained Hinata's cunning in her battle against Kabuto. Shino gave Hinata a deep nod of respect. Hinata smiled in return.

"Ahh! Hinata! Sugei!" Kiba pounced on Hinata and enveloped her in a great hug. Akamaru licked her cheek.

"Ah! Ittai!" Hinata flinched. The wound on her arm and the bruises on her body and throat from Kabuto's genjutsu throbbed in pain. Kiba quickly stepped back and apologized.

Shino helped prop Hinata up. "We should probably send a message to Tsunade-sama requesting ANBU backup to pick up Kabuto."

Kiba turned around. "You're right, Shino, we need to – Kusso!! Shino! Where'd Kabuto go?"

Hinata whirled around. Kiba was right.

Kabuto was gone.

The only indication that he had ever been there was the slight indentation in the leaves where he had lain.

"B-but I saw him! And he... he..." Hinata stuttered, at a loss for words.

Suddenly a crunch of leaves.

Hinata whirled around.

Naruto lay on the ground, unconscious.

"Naruto-kun!"


	12. Chapter 12

Final chapter!!!

Are you all sad? It's finally over! Oh dangggg!! xD

Congratulations to you all for reading this far:D

I seriously have like... 200 faithful readers... hahaa! I never expected it to get this popular. Thank you all for the support:D

I love you all! And thanks again.

--K

-------

Dawn was fingering the edge of the horizon when Naruto woke up. Hinata anxiously paced the hallway outside the hotel room. _Would Naruto-kun be ok? What did Kabuto pull this time?_

The door slid open, and Kiba peeked out. "Hinata?"

Hinata rushed forward.

"Kiba-kun! Is Naruto-kun alright? Is he hurt? What did Kabuto do to him?" she desperately cried.

Kiba shushed her and followed her into the hallway. He placed a brotherly hand on her shoulder. He seemed almost hesitant to tell her the situation. "Hinata..." Kiba averted his eyes. "Naruto's going to be fine, but-"

Hinata felt her heart soar. Her Naruto-kun was going to live! She raced for the door, only to find Kiba's hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. "Kiba? I need to go see him!"

Kiba shook his head. "Hinata. Shino says that he has amnesia. Naruto can't remember anything that's happened in the past few days. Shino said that it might be a jutsu that Kabuto pulled on him to prevent Naruto from realizing Orochimaru's plans to try and stop Akatsuki."

Hinata almost fainted on old habit. The familiar trembling knees and tell-tale dancing black quivered in front of her eyes.

But the past few days with Naruto-kun's urges to stop her from fainting had nearly broken the habit.

Instead, she stumbled to the side. Kiba's firm hold on her wrist caught her before she fell.

"Naruto...kun..." she whispered. He didn't remember her confession. Her courage. Her time with him.

Kiba let go of her hand.

Almost as if in a trance, Hinata walked towards the door, and slid it open. Shino and Jiraiya were sitting beside a bedroll on the floor, obscuring her view of Naruto.

Shino flashed her a glance and nodded to her. Hinata felt tears spring to her eyes.

"Naruto-kun...?" Hinata walked around to the other side of the bed. Bright blue eyes met hers, but they didn't recognize her for the Hinata that Naruto knew since last night. Hinata knew that. And knew that things would never be exactly the same as before.

"Hinata! I didn't know you were here too!" Naruto tried to sit up to greet her but winced and put a hand to his head. "Ittai!! How did I get such a headache?"

"You... You don't remember anything?" Hinata whispered, barely daring to hope. Hope that Naruto would leap out of the bed and proclaim that it had all been a practical joke. Hope that Naruto would still be hers.

A false hope.

Naruto frowned. "I only remember blurry images. My training with Ero-Sennin. I... I don't remember you guys at all. Or how I got here. It's kinda weird."

Hinata opened her mouth, then shut it. She leaned down and held Naruto's hand. Naruto looked up at her, confused at her uncharacteristic actions.

"Naruto-kun... I will never forget the promise that I made you," Hinata said as she held his questioning gaze.

_No matter how much you've forgotten,_ she thought, devoid of bitterness. She stood up and slowly let go of his hand. Naruto seemed to struggle to remember, something, anything that would explain Hinata's strange behavior towards him. But no matter how hard he tried, Naruto couldn't breech the mental barrier that Kabuto had placed in his mind.

"We should go. Tsunade-sama will be expecting us within a day or so. It's best if we get a head start," said Shino, putting a pitying hand on Hinata's shoulder.

Jiraiya nodded to Shino and Hinata.

Naruto still looked puzzled, but smiled. "It was nice seeing you guys. Maybe I'll see you again soon, but in Konoha this time! Let's go eat ramen together!"

Hinata smiled wanly at his invitation. Her whispered, "That'd be nice," was covered up by Kiba's shouted, "I've had enough ramen to last me a decade! Thankyouverymuch!"

"Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-sama." Shino nodded to each and was gone.

Kiba flashed a quick grin at Naruto and called out a promise to spar once Naruto was back in Konoha. He ducked out the door after Shino.

Hinata looked down, then quickly back up again. "Naruto-kun, I-" she sighed and broke off. Looking away, Hinata bowed to Jiraiya and turned to leave.

"Hinata!" Naruto called. Hinata froze, one hand on the door, her back to the room.

Without turning around, Hinata replied, "Yes, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked down. "Hinata-chan. I'm sorry I don't remember what happened. It was obviously very important to you. But-" Naruto looked up. Hinata dared to turn her head back. Naruto ensnared her glance and smiled. "But maybe... maybe some day I will remember. I promise you. I give you my word! And I never go back on my word because -"

"It's our Nindo," Hinata smiled in return. "One day, Naruto-kun. One day."

Hinata crossed through the doorway, and began to slide it closed.

"Good-bye Naruto-kun," she said, locking eyes with him one final time. And closed the door completely.

Outside, Hinata caught up with her teammates. Sensing her sadness, Akamaru rubbed himself against her legs. Hinata smiled a small, sad smile and scratched the dog's ears.

Shino, in a rare display of emotion, swung an arm over her shoulder and squeezed. "He will remember some day. Kabuto's jutsu will not last forever."

Put off by his own display of affection, Shino hurriedly removed his arm. Kiba replaced him and hugged Hinata fiercely before letting go. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan! It'll be ok."

The two began walking towards the blinding sunrise with Akamaru trotting behind.

Suddenly, Hinata remembered something.

She slowly untied her Konoha hitai-ate and unfolded the blue cloth. A white, pressed flower fluttered out, and Hinata caught it mid-air.

"One day..." she murmured to herself. "One day he'll remember. He promised. And one day, we'll be together..."

She pressed the white flower into the folds of blue cloth again, and retied it around her neck.

"One day, we'll be together. Always and forever."

Hinata ran to catch up with her teammates as they began the journey back to Konoha.

-------

Don't kill me. Bittersweet endings are the best.

They aren't TOO happy-go-lucky-gunna-puke, but they aren't too morbid...

Besides, I like keeping most of my stories canon. Thus no cool jutsu for Hinata, and a reason for Naruto not remembering his adventure with her.

Well, that said, thanks again for all of you faithful readers! You've made me so happy:D

Last thing I'm going to say to you is a total break in my etiquette.

My other fanfic is a SasuSaku entitled "Trapped in Reality"

It's based off of the idea of an alternate universe.

"Sakura has always felt out of place in California. But when she is convicted of a crime she did not commit, Sakura finds her dreams haunted by a boy who longs to bring her back into his world, even if it means tearing her from reality as she has always known it."

Hope you read it. I thought that it would've been more popular than this fanfic actually, because the story plot is so unique...

But I guess not. Haha.

God, I hate sounding pathetic...

--K


	13. Announcement

Upon careful consideration and popular request, I've decided to write an epilogue to this thing.

It wasn't an easy decision to make because I felt like I was deserting the original plan that I had for this story, but I realized that I, myself, am unhappy with the way the story ends.

No matter how much an author tries to convince herself that bittersweet is the same thing as happy – in the end she must admit, much to her eternal shame, that it is not.

Only recently have I realized how precious a happy ending is.

Haha, wow, I've been around too many philosophical people recently…

Anyways, those're my reasons basically, but I'm glad that you guys have been begging (and sometimes THREATENING BODILY HARM!!) for an epilogue or a sequel. It'll be nice to put this one to rest finally.

Bittersweet endings and loose ends niggle in the back of my mind. This one's been at it for almost a year now. Haha. RIP story.

Expect it up by the end of the week.

--K


	14. Epilogue

Haha, well is this long-awaited or what?

Some people say that happy endings are easier to write. I guess in a sense they are - I mean they're easier to explain to your conscience. But in other ways they aren't. Bittersweet and sad endings often mirror real life. "Stories"in reality almost never have happy endings. Because... life ends when you DIE, right? hahaha. Tell me death isn't anything but sad...

Anyways, I suppose though, that I personally want a happy ending in my life, that's why I write romance. Wishful thinking. Haha. Hey if it can happen to Hinata, it can happen to me too, right?

Bbbmmm!! Wrong! Chigaimasu! Haha... ah well. That's why this is fiction. :D

Wishful thinking.

And happy endings.

--K

-----------

Hinata was dead tired.

But she couldn't fail now. The others were counting on her.

She drew a kunai and formed the familiar seal around it. Her fingers melded together. "Byakugan!"

Her vision sharpened and she immediately hurled the kunai. Her target shuddered and disappeared the instant before her kunai whisked through the branches.

Hinata nearly lost him, but she refocused through the layers and spotted him again, almost immediately.

If it weren't for her Byakugan, she would not have noticed him reappear directly behind her.

She swiveled in a tight circle, ducked under an attacking kunai, and thrust upwards, palm open.

"Jyuuken!"

A spurt of blood.

Her palm lay flat on her enemy's chest, directly over his heart.

Hinata choked again. More blood.

She didn't have to look down. She knew the cold metal that twisted in her side was bad.

But she also knew that if she leapt away, she would be too tired and too wounded to launch another attack. Her enemy would have the upper hand. Perhaps permanently.

Hinata immediately snapped her other hand around. And latched onto her enemy's wrist.

She heard a deep chuckle. She tightened her grip.

As if in reply, the kunai slipped another inch inside of her. Then slipped out slightly. Hinata felt her hand shake in exertion as she tried to summon the strength to pull her enemy's hand away.

Her eyes narrowed.

She couldn't fail now. Her team was counting on her. They needed her. They needed help.

She couldn't die now. Couldn't die…

The drip, drip of blood painted the tree branch beneath her feet.

She had to fulfill… her nindo… Promised to keep her friends safe… Never go back on her word…

The world shook and shuddered in and out of black. Hinata fought against the consuming darkness. To succumb to the dark would spell death for her, and more importantly, the deaths of the ones that she had vowed to protect.

The cold metal twisted in her side. Drop after drop of heavy, dark blood splattered down.

Hinata bit back a scream. She could feel herself shaking – struggling to stay standing.

"Still trying to live? Foolish. You should have run away while you had the chance."

Hinata tossed his words aside. "I will never give up. And I will _never_ run away," she said. She was proud that her voice did not tremble as much as she had feared it would.

"Che. Konoha," her enemy scoffed. "Suicidal, aren't you?"

"No," Hinata said, with a calm certainty. "I'm keeping a promise."

The kunai bit deeper into her side. The blood began to splash down heavier and heavier.

Hinata lost control of her lips. She cried out.

For a moment, her vision failed. Her hand blurred in front of her eyes, poised over her enemy's heart.

She blinked rapidly and fought to refocus her Byakugan. Neji-nii-san was able to activate it without the hand seal. She hadn't mastered it fully, but now she had no choice but to try.

Hinata took a deep breath.

"Byakugan!"

She closed her eyes.

Whispered a quick prayer.

And then opened them.

The world melted away. Her enemy's failing chakra system focused into view. Byakugan. She nearly laughed in relief, but quickly sobered.

She could feel the life draining out of her body. The wound in her side sapped her strength. She shifted her vision. From the looks of things, she only had enough chakra left for one shot.

If she didn't finish it, she was dead.

"Oh? Still using jutsu? I'm surprised," her enemy remarked, quite monotone. But Hinata could feel his fear. His hand tried to tug away, but she held fast.

She gathered her strength. Blood splattered down. She could feel the chakra swirling within her core. She focused and refined it, forming her final strike.

"I will not go back on my nindo," Hinata murmured. "I will not go back on my word."

She snapped her head up and looked directly into her enemy's deep, empty eyes.

"I will _never_ run away," she said, and pulled her hand back – an inch, a foot, an arm's length from his chest.

"And," she finished, "I will _not_ be afraid of you!"

"Jyuuken!"

Her hand flashed forward. A sudden glimpse of metal from behind her head.

Blood.

He choked. Blood gurgled in his mouth.

Pain. Hinata cried out. Her neck. Fire and lightning ravaged her body. She felt warmth dribbling down her back. Blood.

Her enemy wavered. He tilted, his dark, empty eyes rolled back and away.

Hinata released his wrist a moment before he tipped over. He fell over the side of the branch, his body limp.

Kunai slipped from both of his hands. Both were stained with blood.

Hinata shuddered at the sickening crunch as his body met the ground.

Then she smiled. She had won. She could only hope that she had done enough to protect everyone.

From a distant part of her mind, she felt her body tilt on the branch. Her body swayed. She could not balance. Then she was too far gone.

And from far, far away, she saw her world blur as she fell.

She could vaguely feel the ground approaching. Faster and faster, Death was closing in. Darkness claimed her sight. Almost…

Then firm hands clasped her body.

A distant, "Hinata!"

Her eyes cracked open once more. Through the black dots, she caught a glimpse of orange.

_Naruto…kun…?_

Darkness.

She knew no more.

------------

"Do something! Please do something!"

"Move Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan! Help her!"

"I'm trying! Move! Get me water, bandages from my pack. I need those herbs stashed in the right pocket! Hurry up!"

"Kusso! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"You! – Press this here – No! NOT THERE! Here!"

"Hai! – O-oi! – Sakura! That's Hinata's–"

"Hitai-ate. I know. It's in the way. She has a wound on her neck."

"Here give it to me – What else?"

"Pray."

_Hinata… Gomen… I couldn't protect you… _

-----------

There was darkness and there was cold.

Nothing else but nothing – an endless void of nothing.

Just darkness and cold.

Then… warmth…

She embraced it, fascinated.

It burnt. She shied away. It seemed to banish the numbness of the cold. But it brought pain.

She preferred the numbness.

But the warmth spread. It tingled and stung and scorched.

Pain sizzled through her body. Just when she couldn't stand it any longer – just when she thought that she would burst from the crackling sensation – there was light.

The smallest spark at first, and then it gradually grew brighter. Slowly, slowly, until she forgot that there had ever been darkness at all.

Then the voice…

"…nata… Hinata…?"

That voice… It was the voice that she would know anywhere… It was _his_ voice… somebody important… but…

The light grew brighter, blinding and enveloping her.

"Hinata? You awake yet? Please wake up."

The voice was…

"Naruto… kun…?"

The light consumed her.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Blonde hair ruffled in the breeze. Pure, blue eyes pierced hers. They held heart-breaking concern. Then, they met her open eyes and they widened. His eyes sparkled.

He smiled.

"Hinata!" He was inches from her face.

She felt her cheeks tinge slightly, and she smiled in return. "Naruto-kun."

He leaned away, grinning. "Good! You're up!"

Hinata tried to sit up – red pain streaked across her body. She gasped sharply.

Naruto gently forced her down.

"What happened?" she murmured. She remembered falling… orange… and then… darkness?

"Sakura-chan healed you," he said, an admiring shine in his eyes.

_Sakura-chan?_Hinata looked away. "Oh."

Naruto snapped his gaze back to Hinata. "Wha–?"

She quickly smiled. "It's nothing." Then her eyes widened. "Oh no! Naruto-kun!"

"What? Hinata! What is it?"

"Kiba-kun and Shino-kun and Akamaru are still out there. They were fighting too – and I don't know if they– _ITAI!_" Hinata collapsed back. She had tried to struggle up, but the throbbing pain in her neck and side forced her to the ground.

"Hinata, it's fine." Naruto put a comforting hand on her arm and slowly eased her down.

"What…?"

"Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji went to back up Kiba and Akamaru. Neji, TenTen, and Lee went for Shino. That's where Sakura-chan probably is now – She left a while back to help with the healing."

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. "Yatta," she murmured.

Naruto laughed. "I got left behind. I'm so useless because I can't heal or anything."

"No! Naruto-kun is…" Hinata looked away and smiled a small, sad smile.

She had come to terms with it long ago. He would never remember his promise, and she would have to live with her forced silence. She would never confess again. No matter what Naruto-kun had said about running away, Hinata knew it would break her if he ever turned her away again. Hope had dwindled over the years, and she had finally thought that she had reached a stable point of resignation. No. It would be foolish to have to endure everything again. She knew she would not survive the despair all over again.

He flashed a grin. "Naruto-kun is…?" he prompted.

She smiled back. "Naruto-kun is a very loving person. You came to help us even though you were busy with Hokage training."

"What kind of Hokage would I turn out to be if I couldn't protect my friends?" Naruto leaned back in the grass and tucked a knee up. His headband's ties fluttered in the wind. He smiled down at her. "Arigatou, Hinata-chan."

A companionable silence drifted between them.

Suddenly, Hinata heard Naruto gasp.

"I forgot!" He leapt up.

Hinata tried to follow him with her eyes as he ran a short distance away and snagged a small bag. "What did you forget, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto dashed back and plopped down next to her, cross-legged. He settled his bag in his lap and rummaged around. Hinata tried to crane her neck to get a better view, but the sharp pain forced her to lie still.

"Ah! Found it!" He crowed triumphantly. He dangled something in front of her eyes.

"My hitai-ate!" Hinata exclaimed. Her hand scrabbled up to touch her neck. It was exposed. Sakura must have removed it so she could heal her neck.

Naruto brought the fabric up before his eyes. He squinted at it. He frowned. "It's all ripped and bloody, Hinata."

"I'll fix it when we get back to Konoha," Hinata said calmly. Inside, though, her heart was pounding. She did not want him to find the treasure that she had stored inside of it for so long. If he saw, and still did not remember, it would break her heart. She put out her hand.

"It's ok, Hinata," Naruto smiled brightly down at her. "I'll get some water to wash the blood out at least!"

"Naruto-kun. It's alrigh–"

Naruto was already rummaging in his bag again. He produced a small clay bottle. Hinata could hear liquid sloshing inside.

He opened it and began unfolding her hitai-ate.

"Naruto-kun! No!–"

A small, wrinkled flower fluttered out. Small flakes broke off and sifted through the air softly – almost like a light snow.

Her hand shot out.

But his hand was faster.

He picked it up. It lay gently in the palm of his hand. He stared at it.

Hinata trembled, readying her heart for the terrible wound that she knew was coming.

She closed her eyes. And braced every fiber in her body. He would not remember. And then her heart would break again – just like all of the times before.

She felt a small tear leak out and travel down her cheek. It hung on the tip of her chin for the briefest of moments before breaking off and shattering on her chest.

"Hinata-chan…"

Her eyes flew open. There was something in his voice… It was… different…

He was looking at her, his eyes wide.

Blue met white.

And everything clicked.

He leaned down, hesitantly – as if she had been the one not to remember everything. A small smile fluttered across his lips as he searched her face. "I always keep my promises. Isn't that–"

"Our nindo?" Hinata whispered back, barely daring to breathe. Barely daring to hope. Another tear found its way to her chin and hovered there – shivering.

His hand was on her cheek, wiping the tears. Then it was pressed to the side of her face, holding her close.

"Naruto-kun…"

Their lips met.

When they broke away, it was only to breathe. Hinata smiled. He remembered. After so many years…

He remembered.

"I meant it when I said it," he murmured into her ear. "Always and forever, ne? Hinata-chan."

Hinata replied by bringing him in for another kiss.

-----

Honestly guys... What do you think?

No, sorry, at the moment, I can't write a sequel to this one. I'm working on too much stuff right now. I can't take any more... haha...

If you're a Bleach fan, though, I'm going to be putting up a GinMatsu soon, so look forward to that. :D

And I'm still continuing my SasuSaku. I just need to find the courage to type up the next chapter.

I guess I'll see you all later! Check out some of my other stuff. It needs lovin' too:D

You've all been such faithful readers. Thanks for convincing me to finally let Hinata have a happy ending.

Maybe karma'll kick in and finally grant me mine. Haha, jk.

I'm too young to say weird stuff like that.

Humbly yours,

--K


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